Florida

Alligator Keeps Family Trapped Inside Florida Home

What to Know

  • Neighbors yelled to the family inside to not leave their condo complex near Cocoa as the animal decided to hang around for a while.
  • Eventually, police and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation trapper were able to capture the animal – who was missing part of its tail.

A family on Florida’s space coast had an unwelcomed guest at their front door who kept them trapped inside Monday afternoon: a nine foot alligator.

Neighbors yelled to the family inside to not leave their condo complex near Cocoa as the animal decided to hang around for a while.

“I was standing by my door looking at a man who was waving at me and pointed down, so I saw the alligator and ran back into the house,” homeowner Liz Marek told NBC affiliate WESH-TV.

Eventually, police and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation trapper were able to capture the animal – who was missing part of its tail – and remove it from the area. Officials say this won’t be the last time alligators try to mingle with humans.

“We haven’t had much of a winter, so it’s kind of already happening and they’re already up and moving,” said trapper Frank Robb. “Unless we get another cold snap, it’s going to keep happening.”

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