NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A woman who crossed a barrier at the Bronx Zoo lion exhibit Thursday afternoon has been identified as the same person who pulled a similar stunt in 2019.
Video obtained by WNBC showed 32-year-old Myah Autry donning a blonde wig, red dress and leopard-print shawl after jumping a barrier at the enclosure around 3:40 p.m.
Autry is seen waving and dancing with bouquets of roses before apparently throwing $100 bills in the air, all while lions walk nearby.
“I missed him so much,” she reportedly said. “King, I love you, I came back for you.”
A Bronx Zoo spokesperson told WNBC that Autry was not in danger as she was separated from the lion by a protective moat. She had disappeared by the time staff arrived.
“The woman did not enter the exhibit and was never in the same space as the lions which are separated from zoo visitors by a wide moat,” the spokesperson said. “The incident lasted only a couple of minutes and the woman was gone when staff arrived on scene. The zoo intends to prosecute the woman for criminal trespass if she is identified.”
Autry pulled the same stunt in 2019 and was dubbed the Bronx Zoo “Lion Lady.”
Police charged her with criminal trespassing after they caught up with her near the Barclays Center about a month after she fled the den the first time.
Authorities said they are once again asking for the public’s help in locating Autry in connection with Thursday’s incident.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
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