A British Columbia man accused in a bizarre situation that played out at a Toronto aquarium late last week has been arrested, Ontario police say.

CTV Toronto reported the Ontario Provincial Police arrested David Weaver in Thunder Bay, about 1,400 kilometres northwest of Canada's largest city. 

Weaver was identified as a suspect after a man who was visiting the Ripley's Aquarium stripped naked and jumped into the shark tank on Friday night.

The facility does offer guided dives of the tank, but it charges $250 plus tax and wetsuits are mandatory. 

Security was called, but the man backflipped into the tank one more time. He eventually did climb out, but managed to flee with some of his clothing.

Video of his strange skinny dip was posted to social media.

In a statement issued Monday, Toronto police said they were seeking a man in connection with the mischief case. They described their suspect as between the ages of 35 and 40.

He is about 5'10" and 220 pounds, they said, with a shaved head, a dark goatee and a tattoo on his lower leg. He's missing a front tooth, police say.

Prior to getting in the tank, he was wearing a grey hoodie, dark jeans, a green T-shirt and grey and white shoes.

Weaver was identified as a suspect just a few hours after police issued their plea to the public for help to identify them.

The 37-year-old was wanted on the charge of "mischief – interfere with property," they said.

He is also believed to be tied to an assault that occurred near Dufferin Street and Saskatchewan Road which also occurred on Friday. In that incident, which happened at the Medieval Times restaurant, he's facing a possible charge of assault causing bodily harm.

Toronto police said they believe the suspect and victim did not know each other, and said the victim had to be taken to hospital.

Court records show a man of the same name and age was found guilty of theft under $5,000 in B.C. two years ago. He was fined $350 plus a $105 victim surcharge.

Convictions for incidents that occurred in various cities in B.C.'s Interior also include assault and mischief.

Toronto police said they did not have much background on Weaver, and it was not confirmed to be the same person.

Nelson Police Sgt. Nate Holt, however, said from what he's looked into it appears Weaver is known to police. He said it appeared files associated with that name dated back to 2001, and involved reports in Revelstoke, Vernon and Ontario.

Holt called the video "fairly shocking, not something you see every day.

"It raises a lot of questions about what would cause somebody to be in a state where they'd think that's appropriate behaviour."

A former colleague of Weaver's said they'd worked together at a fishing lodge in Haida Gwaii.

"I laughed and I wasn't really all that surprised," he said of the moment he heard Weaver was a suspect.

"It just seems like something within the realm of his behaviour."

The colleague, who did not want his name made public, said he was more surprised by the allegation of assault than the shark-adjacent skinny dip. He remembers Weaver as someone who was really happy, even when impaired.

"In all the time I've known him he's always been a guy who doesn't seem like the type to punch someone in the face unless provoked. It just didn't seem like in his character," the colleague said.

And if it was Weaver who jumped in the tank, it wasn't his first time being so close to sharks.

"There are little sharks off the dock where he'd go swimming too, so he's swam with sharks before. I'm glad he didn't get any appendages bitten off. Good for him."

With files from CTV Vancouver's Angela Jung