Miami firefighters stop to help unconscious person, realize it's an 11-foot alligator

MIAMI (FOX 13) - Firefighters in Miami were driving back to their fire station when they stopped to help an unconscious person on the ground, only to realize it was actually a large alligator.

The Miami Fire Rescue crew noticed a figure on the ground outside of a home and initially believed it was an unconscious person on the pavement.

When they stopped to help, it became quickly evident that it was actually a gator.

“As they got closer, they noticed that this was not a person but actually an 11-foot alligator,” Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll told WSVN.

Firefighters and police called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for assistance in capturing the reptile.

But as they waited for a trapper to arrive, the gator kept moving.

“For about an hour, they monitored this alligator, along with Miami Police, as it continued to make its way further into the residential neighborhood,” Carroll said.

When the trapper arrived, they were able to rope the animal, but wet weather made the situation more dangerous.

“The ground is wet, the alligator is wet. He didn’t want to take a chance, so the trapper made the decision to put the alligator down,” Carroll told the station.