An escaped monkey who allegedly gulped down leftover beer and jumped on the hood of a car before sneaking into a home has been captured after his antics terrorized an Indianapolis neighborhood for nearly 24 hours.
“Momo the monkey was captured safely. That was more than enough antics for us. “Thank you everyone for your support,” the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) said Thursday on X, the New York Post reported.
Indianapolis police on Thursday managed to stop the escape of Momo, a monkey from the Patas family – the fastest primate species on the planet, according to the Southwick Zoo – by trapping him in the corner of a bathroom of a house under construction , American media reported.
According to the zoo, this species of monkey could reach speeds of up to 55 km/h.
The monkey, which had escaped from his home the previous day, was spotted fleeing by neighbors who reported online that he had been seen drinking beer from a trash can and jumping onto the hood of a vehicle after attempting to to enter the vehicle.
“It took me a few seconds to realize what it was so I closed the door and he jumped on the bonnet of my car. […] Several police officers stopped and told me to stay in the car […] “You can’t make this up!” Karri Harbert said in a Facebook post, according to the NY Post.
Police were also reportedly initially called by another neighbor about minor injuries caused by an “aggressive animal,” but the nature of the injuries was not specified.
Although a license is not required to own the species in Marion County, prosecutors must decide whether Momo can be returned to his owner, who in turn has received a citation for his monkey’s dangerousness.
Anyone who may have come into contact with the animal during the escape was urged to seek preventive medical attention because of possible “diseases that could be transmitted to humans,” according to American media.
According to the NY Post, Momo escaped for the first time last July.
