Gator grapple: Deputy grabs gator from pool, detains it in cruiser

gator in water
Gator captured FILE PHOTO: A sheriff's deputy captured a gator from a swimming pool. (plizet - stock.adobe.com)

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A sheriff’s deputy in Florida got his man, make that gator.

Body camera footage shared on Facebook showed the deputy from the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office grabbing a gator from a backyard pool in St. Augustine, Florida.

The deputy can be heard telling his prisoner, “I know you’re mad,” before reaching into the pool and grabbing the gator by the neck, pulling it out of the water with his bare hands.

The slippery gator landed on the patio before the deputy grabbed it again, carrying it back to his cruiser. The gator tried to snap, despite its mouth being taped shut, at the deputy, but he once again said, “I know you’re mad,” before loading it in the back seat of the car and strapping it in with the seat belt.

The deputy relocated the gator to a nearby pond, officials said.

🚔 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔 🐊 #TeamSJSO responded to help remove an unexpected guest from a backyard pool in St. Augustine! The alligator wasn’t happy its pool time was over or about the ride in the patrol car, but it was buckled in and safely relocated to a nearby pond by Deputy Richardson.

Posted by St. Johns County Sheriff's Office on Saturday, August 2, 2025
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