The boy "was pulled out by staff from the zoo and received medical treatment at the scene before being taken to hospital," Police in the U.K. told PEOPLE
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NEED TO KNOW
- A man has been arrested after a 3-year-old boy was left with critical injuries inside a crocodile enclosure at a zoo in Huntingdon, England on Thursday, June 18
- A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and released on bail until September 18
- Police said in a statement to PEOPLE that the victim was in a critical but stable condition
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a 3-year-old boy was left critically injured inside a zoo's crocodile enclosure in the U.K.
In an email sent to PEOPLE on Friday, June 19, the Cambridgeshire Constabulary in England stated that they responded to reports that a child had been seriously injured inside the Johnsons of Old Hurst's crocodile enclosure at 1:24 p.m. local time in the town of Huntingdon, which is around 75 miles north of London.
“The boy, who sustained serious injuries while in the enclosure, was pulled out by staff from the zoo and received medical treatment at the scene before being taken to hospital,” Cambridgeshire Constabulary continued in the statement.
Authorities added that the unnamed boy remains in a critical but stable condition.
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The police added that a 30-year-old man from Norfolk, who was not known to the boy, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder but has since been released on bail until September 18. Authorities assessed the suspect as not being fit for an interview.
“Our enquiries are ongoing as we continue to understand the circumstances surrounding this distressing incident,” Det Insp Verity McCann said in a statement to PEOPLE. “Our thoughts remain with the boy, and his family and specialist officers continue to support them through this difficult time.”
In a post on Facebook, Magpas Air Ambulance stated that a critical care team was activated following the incident at the zoo.
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“They arrived at 13:42 (1:42 p.m.) and treated one patient at the scene before escorting them to hospital via land ambulance,” Magpas Air Ambulance wrote. “Our thoughts remain with the patient and their family at this time.”
A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service also told PEOPLE in an email, “We dispatched an ambulance, a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance officer vehicle and the Magpas air ambulance to the scene. A child was transported to hospital for further care.”
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A man who lives near the zoo told BBC that he heard a "lot of sirens" before the air ambulance arrived, adding that the incident was “shocking.”
Mike Annicelli, 52, who also lives near the zoo and previously visited the attraction, told the BBC that the crocodile enclosure had a "raised platform" and that the reptiles were roughly 15 feet down. He added that the fencing along walkways was also around four feet high.
In a public announcement on Thursday, June 18, Johnsons of Old Hurst stated that their “thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family following the incident that occurred today.”
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“Out of respect to the family, our Tropical House will remain closed until further notice,” they continued. “If you have any questions about the incident, please direct enquiries to Cambridgeshire Police Constabulary. The rest of the site will remain open as normal.”
Huntingdon's Member of Parliament, Ben Obese-Jecty, also said in a post on social media, “I am aware of the incident at Johnson's of Old Hurst and have been liaising with senior officers at Gold Command who are treating this as a critical incident."
“This is now a live criminal investigation and I would ask people to refrain from speculation online. The police will provide an update with further information in due course,” he continued. “My thoughts are with the young victim and his family during a hugely traumatic and difficult time.”
Councilor Charlotte Lowe, who represents Old Hurst village, told the BBC that she was "shocked" by the incident.
"To have something like this happen here is just incredulous," she said. "You don't expect this to happen in a rural village."
She added that the enclosure had safety measures such as acrylic glass and secure walkways.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the young boy suffering in this," she told the outlet.
PEOPLE reached out to Johnsons of Old Hurst and Councilor Charlotte Lowe for further comment.
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