Kangaroo captured after hopping around New York neighborhood

A runaway kangaroo enjoyed a few minutes of fun in a New York neighborhood on Saturday morning. The marsupial named Buster was spotted at around 8am after slipping through an unlocked gate in a 6-foot-high fence and happily hopping through Staten Island. “It was jumping around, enjoying the freedom and the fun," said Urim Osmani, 34, owner of the nearby Alb’s Auto Repair.

“We didn’t know what it was. We thought it was a deer,” he said. “When it came closer, we saw it was a kangaroo. We thought it disappeared from a zoo or something.” Police sources confirmed that the 4-foot-tall kangaroo belongs to John Schirripa. Schirripa told police officers that the ‘roo belonged to his brother, who he said brought Buster with him from upstate New York to his sibling’s home.

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Buster was hopping around in the backyard on Saturday morning when he found the unsecured gate and made his move. Local residents then called 911. When police arrived, they found Buster bouncing up and down in a neighbor’s yard. The officers surrounded the kangaroo, but the owner quickly showed up, subdued the animal and returned him to the backyard. Buster’s adventure in the big city lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, according to a police source. No charges were filed and Buster remains in his owner’s custody.
The ASPCA was notified, per procedure, but it doesn’t look like they will get involved, according to police. “It looks like it’s legal to possess a kangaroo where this man is from,” a police source said. “Since he was visiting the area and was returning home today, there was no violation.” Buster wasn’t injured, and neither were the police who responded. “We were trying to keep it calm. We didn’t want to scare him,” Osmani said. “We were scared it was going to hurt somebody. It jumped a couple of times and then it disappeared.”