An escaped monkey named Momo was on the loose in Indianapolis for hours and it spent its time searching through neighbors' garbage and wandering through yards

• A patas monkey named Momo escaped from his owner's home on Wednesday in Indianapolis.
• After searching Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, authorities captured Momo.

An escaped monkey named Momo got loose in an Indianapolis neighborhood, causing a bit of a ruckus during his escapade before he was captured Thursday morning.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced during a news conference Thursday afternoon that they had first received calls Wednesday evening that a monkey was charging towards people in a residential area. The department said that's when it began its search for the monkey — with assistance from Indianapolis Animal Care Services and the Indianapolis Zoo — that lasted three and a half hours into the night.

Authorities resumed their search on Thursday morning after receiving more calls from residents, including one woman who said Momo was on her back porch trying to open the door into her home.

A few hours later, authorities said they tracked the monkey into a vacant house under construction, then closed all the doors and lured him into a bathroom.

Police then had the monkey owner's brother come in and finally apprehend the runaway, police said at the news conference.

"Momo the monkey has been captured safely," the police department posted on X. "That was more than enough monkey business for us."

Momo had gotten loose after jumping out of his owner's fence Wednesday afternoon, his owner, Wayne Pham, posted on Facebook, along with a plea for information on the pet's whereabouts. It is legal to own a pet monkey in Indiana.

Momo is a patas monkey, a monkey that is native to central Africa and can run at speeds up to 34 miles per hour, according to Southwick's Zoo's website.

The monkey caused some trouble during his joyride through the city.

"There are reports of minor injuries from the monkey but we can't confirm it is from bites," the police department posted on X.

Some residents responded to Pham's Facebook post with photos and videos of Momo climbing on top of cars and meandering through people's yards. Another poster wrote that his coworker showed him a photo of a monkey his mother had found in her garage. Momo was also spotted chugging a beer from a trash can, a resident told police, according to WishTV.

Momo is currently being transported to the Indianapolis Zoo where his health will be evaluated, the deputy director of animal service said at the press conference, and authorities are still determining if his owner will be allowed to take him back.