'What the Heck?': Police Arrest Man with Hamsters Hidden in Leopard-Print Onesie
Police find the hamsters in the suspect's pajamas, authorities said.
July 12 2024, Published 4:43 p.m. ET
A man in Ohio has been arrested after he allegedly broke into multiple locations, including a pet store, and during his arrest, officers said they found multiple hamsters in his pants, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Front Page Detectives reported that around 3 a.m. on July 9, officers responded to a report of a break-in at the restaurant Roosters in Columbus, according to the Columbus Division of Police.
The suspect was sleeping on a bench as police approached him.
Officers found video footage showing a man wearing a leopard-print onesie inside the restaurant, officials said.
Investigators determined a nearby Petland pet store was also broken into after discovering animals roaming free in the parking lot.
Officers were called to the scene regarding multiple break-ins in the area, officials said.
Officers were able to recover multiple dogs, birds and rabbits at the scene.
Officials also discovered a nearby Famous Footwear store had been broken into.
During the arrest, police discovered hamsters in the suspect's pants, authorities said.
Around 4:45 a.m., officers said they found the man in a leopard-print onesie sleeping on a bench near a Big Lots store.
Body cam footage of the arrest, which can be seen here, shows the officers waking up the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Matthew Pancake, and ordering him to get on the ground.
Matthew Pancake was arrested and charge with breaking and entering and vandalism, authorities said.
As officers were handcuffing Pancake and patting him down, one of the officers discovered a small animal inside his pajama pants.
“Oh, God, there is a gerbil,” an officer can be heard saying.
The officer says, “There’s multiple gerbils in his pants,” even though the animals were later identified as hamsters.
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The officer asked, “Do you have any more gerbils on you?”
There were, as four hamsters were found in Pancake’s pants. They were ultimately returned to the pet store, officers said.
Pancake was arrested and charged with breaking and entering and vandalism, police said.
