'What the Heck?': Police Arrest Man with Hamsters Hidden in Leopard-Print Onesie
![Ohio Man Found with Hamsters in His Pajamas During Arrest: Police](https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/480x251/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 480w, https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/640x335/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 640w, https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/768x402/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 768w, https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/1024x536/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 1024w, https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/1280x670/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 1280w, https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/1440x753/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 1440w, https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/1600x837/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 1600w, https://media.frontpagedetectives.com/brand-img/HxWv-q9P5/2160x1130/police-arrest-man-hamsters-leopard-print-onesie-1720806453573.jpg 2160w)
Police find the hamsters in the suspect's pajamas, authorities said.
July 14 2024, Published 4:03 p.m. ET
A man in Ohio has been arrested after police say he allegedly broke into multiple locations, including a pet store, and during his arrest, officers said they found multiple hamsters in his pants.
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.
Officers obtained 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 able to recover multiple dogs, birds and rabbits at the scene.
Officials also discovered a nearby Famous Footwear store had been broken into.
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.
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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.
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