An alligator attack left a 23-year-old man with severe injuries, including a severed arm.
According to wildlife officials, the attack took place early Sunday morning, May 21, in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified the attacker as a 10.5-foot-long alligator. A spokesperson from the commission said that the incident took place behind Banditos Bar, at a pond near the bar. The victim was identified as Jordan Rivera. By his account, he had been at the wrong place at the wrong time because the bar’s bathroom line was too long.
“I just saw the lake, just gonna go over there and take a little pee or whatnot,” he said. “Something happened where I either tripped…and ended up in the water, and that’s literally the last thing I remember.”
On receiving reports of the alligator attack, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, EMS, and the state wildlife agency responded to the scene.
Rivera was airlifted to the Gulf Coast Hospital in Fort Myers, according to a spokesperson for the Charlotte County Fire and EMS. He underwent surgery for arm amputation.
Manny Hidalgo, an eyewitness present at Banditos Bar during the incident, reported hearing screams outside. He ventured out with a flashlight to investigate. In an interview with a local Port Charlotte newspaper, Hidalgo described discovering Rivera in the water, yelling and attempting to swim toward the shore.
He admitted feeling apprehensive because of the darkness, but he rushed to the victim’s aid and dragged him onto the shore.
Following the attack, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission initiated an investigation and also dispatched a nuisance alligator trapper to the scene. Once the alligator was located and removed from the premises, it was euthanized, according to a statement from the agency.
Last month, a 72-year-old man lost his leg due to an alligator attack at a Titusville RV resort. In March of this year, a Daytona Beach man was attacked on his front porch by a 7-foot, 10-inch-long alligator.
