The teenager who gatecrashed a rhino enclosure at the Singapore zoo for a TikTok video was charged with several offenses today, including those linked to him allegedly damaging other people’s cars.
Ralph Wee Yi Kai, 19, was handed one charge of criminal trespass after filming himself in a TikTok video jumping over the barricade and into the rhino exhibit in December. He was also charged with vandalism and two counts of committing mischief for allegedly damaging two cars and hitting a bus stop information board in October.
He did not enter a plea for all charges and was expected to return to court at a later date.
Wee had posted a 13-second TikTok clip of himself doing a backflip in front of two white rhinoceros before jumping out of the enclosure. The incident, which reportedly took place at around 2:45pm on Dec. 17, prompted zoo owner Wildlife Reserves Singapore to call the boy out for his “reckless and mindless act” and report him to the police.
“This is a reckless and mindless act which is socially irresponsible, extremely dangerous and simply disrespectful to wildlife and our animals. We appeal to the sensibilities of the social community out there – let’s not encourage copycat acts – this can put lives in danger,” it said.
Wee was also accused of damaging the side mirrors of a Mercedes Benz and a BMW at 1 Sixth Crescent, at around 2:40am on Oct. 9, and hitting an information panel at the Sixth Avenue bus stop. The total damages were worth over S$5,000 (US$3,700).
If found guilty of criminal trespass, he could be jailed up to three months and fined S$1,500. He could also be jailed for two years for committing mischief, and three years’ jail with a fine of S$2,000 for committing vandalism.
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