Mauled man charged with trespassing at Bronx Zoo

photo This Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 image from video provided by WABC shows authorities investigating the scene where a man was mauled by a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Saturday that 25-year-old David Villalobos told investigators that he deliberately leaped into a zoo exhibit because he wanted to "be one with the tiger." Police say they plan to arrest Villalobos, who remained hospitalized in stable condition Saturday after the 400-pound cat bit him in the back. He also suffered broken bones in the jump Friday from an elevated train that circles the exhibit

NEW YORK - A man mauled by a 400-pound tiger at the Bronx Zoo has been charged with criminal trespass.

Police said Saturday that authorities delivered a desk appearance ticket to David Villalobos in the hospital where he's recuperating.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne says the 25-year-old told investigators he deliberately leaped into a zoo exhibit because he wanted to "be one with the tiger."

Villalobos remained hospitalized in stable condition Saturday with bites and punctures and a broken arm and a leg caused by the jump Friday from an elevated train that circles the exhibit.

Browne says that when a police officer asked Villalobos why he did it, he responded, "Everybody in life makes choices."

It's unclear if Villalobos has an attorney; attempts to reach relatives on Saturday were unsuccessful.

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