A three-year-old boy is in critical condition after he ended up inside a crocodile enclosure at an English zoo, and police have arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder.
Cambridgeshire Police said officers were called to Johnsons of Old Hurst at 1:24 PM local time on June 18, 2026 following reports of the incident. The boy was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with serious injuries. Police stated he was in critical but stable condition.
A 30-year-old man from Norfolk was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The detail that turns this from a tragic accident into a criminal investigation is what police said about the suspect: investigators do not believe the arrested man and the child are known to each other. According to Cambridgeshire Police, Detective Inspector Verity McCann said officers were speaking with people who had been at the zoo to piece together exactly how the boy ended up in the enclosure.
Detectives from the Major Crime Unit have been leading the investigation. Specially trained officers were supporting the boy’s family at the hospital. The incident occurred at Johnsons of Old Hurst in Huntingdonshire, a site near Cambridge that houses more than 100 animals including crocodiles, lions, tigers, sloth bears, capybaras, and meerkats.
Johnson’s said its thoughts and prayers are with the boy and his family. The operator stated that the crocodile enclosure would remain closed until further notice out of respect. For now, a small child is fighting for his life as authorities seek to understand how he ended up inside the enclosure.
