NJ cop shoots at loose alligator, park closes out of caution

🐊 A Middlesex Borough park is closed as crews search for an alligator

🐊 A cop shot at the alligator last week but it's likely still alive

🐊 A landscaper who first spotted the gator took a video, see below (Contains profanity)

MIDDLESEX BOROUGH — An alligator may still be alive after a cop tried to shoot the wanted reptile last week.

The Middlesex Borough police on Monday released more details about the violent encounter at Victor Crowell Park.

Cops were called to the park last Wednesday, Aug. 23 and tried to capture the reptile, police said. The alligator, which is estimated to be up to four feet long, got away.

Then Saturday night, officers spotted the alligator again, first in Lake Creighton and then in Ambrose Brook. However, the cops weren't able to get to the reptile.

Screengrabs from the first known video of the alligator on Aug. 23, 2023 taken by Mario Fincher (Carly Baldwin via Youtube)

A cop then fired a shot at the alligator because of the animal's "significant" threat to public safety, police said. It was unclear if the bullet connected.

It seems the alligator is still out there. Residents said they spotted it in Lake Creighton Monday morning, reported News 12 New Jersey.

As a result of the "unconfirmed" sightings, Victor Crowell Park will be closed for 72 hours, Chief Matthew Geist said.

Alligator found in a large container in Neptune Township (Monmouth County SPCA)

“Citizens are strongly urged to stay away from Creighton Lake and the Ambrose Brook and should NOT approach or make attempts to capture the alligator. They should contact the Middlesex Borough Police Department at 732-356-1900 if the reptile is observed in the area," Geist said.

🐊 First alligator sighting in Middlesex Borough

The first person to have seen the alligator last Wednesday was Mario Fincher, a landscaper who was working on a Melrose Avenue property that sits on the brook, reported the Manchester Patch. Police confirmed that Fincher was the first to see it, according to the report.

The gator and Fincher stared at each other before it swam closer to him, the landscaper said. After it sat there for a while, he returned to work.

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