Two Americans are facing legal trouble in Japan after one of them climbed into the enclosure of Punch, the baby macaque monkey who became a global internet sensation, at the Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo.
Reid Jahnai Dayson, 24, and Neal Jabahri Duan, 27, were detained by Chiba police on Monday following the weekend incident.
Dayson is believed to be the person caught on video jumping the fence and entering the enclosure dressed in a blue suit with a smiling emoji head. Duan reportedly stood outside and filmed the stunt as it unfolded.
Footage circulating online shows the costumed intruder inside the enclosure where Punch and about 50 other Japanese macaques live.
The monkeys reacted in fear, running to a rock formation on the far end of the enclosure to get away from the intruder. A zookeeper arrived shortly after and physically grabbed the man by the arm, escorting him out of the enclosure.
Dayson had posted a photo of himself on the streets of Tokyo just a day before the incident, on Saturday. Both men maintain active social media accounts filled with photos of their travels, luxury watches, expensive cars, and stacks of cash.
Duan, originally from Austin, Texas, markets himself as a singer based in California and has documented trips to multiple countries on his Facebook and Instagram pages. Dayson identifies himself as a college student.
The emoji costume Dayson wore during the stunt appears to be a reference to imagery associated with memecoin cryptocurrencies, though police say it remains unclear what specific connection, if any, the two men have to the crypto world.
Dayson and Duan were charged with obstructing operations at the zoo. Both men have denied the charges, according to Chiba police, and prosecutors were expected to question them further on Tuesday.
Punch became one of the most talked about animals on the internet earlier this year after heartbreaking photos went viral showing the tiny macaque clinging to a stuffed orangutan toy.
He was born in July 2025 but was abandoned by his mother shortly after a difficult labor during a brutal summer heatwave.
Without a mother to teach him the natural behaviors newborn macaques need to survive, including how to cling properly, zookeepers stepped in and gave him a plush IKEA DJUNGELSKOG orangutan toy to help him develop those instincts.
The images of Punch and his stuffed companion spread rapidly across the internet, drawing millions of viewers who followed his journey, learning to socialize with the other monkeys in the enclosure.
The viral moment was so overwhelming that the zoo was forced to introduce rules limiting visitor noise and capping viewing time at 10 minutes per visit to reduce stress on the animals.
The Ichikawa Zoo confirmed all animals were safe following the break-in, including Punch. In a statement posted to social media, the zoo said it filed a damage report with police and is moving forward with stricter protective measures.
The zoo has already begun installing nets around the enclosure and setting up permanent patrol units to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Japan has seen a growing number of cases involving tourists who carry out illegal acts at public places purely for social media attention.
