After being caught on surveillance cameras, one of three thieves has confessed to stealing a shark out of a Texas aquarium’s petting pool and escaping by disguising it as a baby.
Jenny Spellman, the general manager of the San Antonio Aquarium in Leon Valley, Texas, told KSAT that police have said they have one of the thieves in custody and are working to get a warrant so that they can retrieve the missing shark.
The thief in custody is said to have confessed to his actions and has not yet been named.
Thieves stole a shark from a petting pool inside Texas’ San Antonio Aquarium Saturday afternoon. Here, one of the thieves can be seen reaching into the pool to grab the shark
Another surveillance camera captured one of the thieves (bottom right) carrying the shark inside a blanket. Authorities said the thieves rolled up the shark inside a wet blanket
The thieves can be seen placing the shark inside a stroller and exiting the aquarium with it
The shark theft occurred Saturday afternoon and was caught on tape, from start to finish, by the aquarium’s surveillance cameras.
In one video, a man can be seen reaching into the uncovered petting pool and plucking out a foot-and-a-half-long horn shark. He then calmly walks away from the tank while cradling the shark, followed by another man who appears to be holding a blanket.
Other surveillance camera angles show the two men and a woman walking through the aquarium; one of the men carefully placing the bundled up shark inside a baby stroller and both men wheeling the stroller out into the parking lot.
Authorities said that the men wrapped the shark in a wet blanket and went into a back room, where they put the shark into a bucket. The bucket was then put into the stroller.
One of the surveillance videos shows an aquarium employee spotting the theft as it happened. The employee then apparently went on to inform management about what she saw.
Outside the aquarium, the thieves can be seen wheeling the stroller with the shark to a truck
The aquarium released this image of the three people wanted in connection with the theft
The stolen shark was a horn shark, measuring one-and-a-half feet long (stock image)
Spellman told KSAT that she went to the parking lot to stop the thieves. One of the men wouldn’t allow Spellman to search his truck, claiming that his son was sick and drove off, leaving the woman and the other man in the parking lot.
Police impounded the truck that was used as the getaway vehicle on Monday at 5.30pm, KENS5 reported.
Authorities said that the thieves could face felony theft charges and that they are looking into the possibility of federal charges as well.
Spellman said the bucket that the men took from the back room and used to contain the shark had previously held a bleach solution, which could have shocked the shark’s system.
Although police had initially said that they did not expect the shark to survive the theft, the thief who allegedly confessed to the crime has said that the shark is still alive.
In addition to the man who is in custody, authorities are still looking for a second man and a woman in conjunction with the theft.