Google Maps
The man who frequently sits with a diverse ensemble of animals outside the Bank of America on the corner of 72nd and Broadway was recently featured in a viral TikTok video as he and his crew of creatures set up shop by the ATMs inside. There was a dog, a couple of bunnies, and a variety of birds on display.
Advertisement
The video, which has been viewed over half a million times, showed the scene unfolding around 2 p.m. on Friday.
“Brooklyn may have an aquarium in a fire hydrant, but I raise you a petting zoo in an ATM on the UWS,” reads the caption by user @annie.bao. Matt Gordon provides the background music and vocals, which sound like a verse from Beauty and the Beast, but instead goes, “There goes the crackhead that I see each morning” as the man attends to his crates, containers and cardboard boxes.
There were three sun conure birds, two white doves, and two cockatiels sitting on the man’s pushcart. The two bunnies were kept in a Nature Fresh Farms box, while the black-and-gray spotted dog stood near the ATM.
@annie.bao this might be the most exclusive petting zoo #nyclife #brooklynaquarium #nycpettingzoo ? There goes the crackhead – MattActorGordon
“Food, water bottles and other supplies can be seen strewn about the vestibule in the clip,” the New York Post reported.
ILTUWS has frequently seen the man set up outside the bank, but neighbors told the Post this is not the first time they’ve seen him set up inside.
“He has been in there before, and I have gone in there because I needed to get money,” said Upper West Sider Rodrigo Piriz, 30. “Some people freak out, but other people pay them no mind—just like typical New Yorkers,” he added.
Advertisement
A Bank of America employee said the man and his pets usually stay outside the bank, but if he were working that day, he “would have had to ask him to leave.” One TikTok user wrote, “I love the comments of people who have seen him in various places in the city, and I love that NYC is so big that people are asking where they can find him to go see him.”
Casay Snyder had a different opinion on the petting zoo. “I want to see them, just maybe not in my bank. I think that’s the wrong spot for all of the animals, she said, laughing. “Nothing in this city shocks me anymore. Weird s—t happens every day.”
Another visitor was asked if he would go inside while the petting zoo was in session. He replied, “It depends how badly I need the money.”
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
Bobby Panza finds another colorful story to share with us. I had seen this amazing menagerie some weeks ago when he was outside with his brood, and was amazed!
As long as the animals are well-cared for, I welcome this quirky collection of living beings!
LOL! Love the Beauty and the beast connection. Now I can’t get the song out of my head, which is okay, it’s a good one!
The B of A space on that corner should be Trader Joe’s, and there should be a basement parking garage.
The variance granted the developer that allowed the basement Trader Joe’s adds to traffic congestion.