A sneaky alligator is on the prowl in New Jersey, twice eluding police who are amazed that the creature is roaming the Garden State.
The rogue reptile – which police say is capable of “causing serious injury or death” – is 3 or 4 feet long and was first spotted in Lake Creighton at Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex on Wednesday, local police said in an animal alert Monday.
“This is a very new thing for New Jersey. We don’t have alligators in the water. We’re not Florida,” Middlesex Borough police Lt. Thomas Falk told NJ Advance Media.
The wily creature has so far eluded officers – who have shot at it and launched drones and boats in their quest to find it.
One of the drones sent to hunt the gator got stuck in a tree and had to be removed by a fire department ladder truck.
American alligators are almost always restricted to warmer climates and marshes between the Rio Grande in Texas and North Carolina, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
But the jawed New Jersey creature has also been seen in Ambrose Brook, which runs between Lake Creighton and the Raritan River, officials said.
Witnesses say they saw alligators attack ducks. Mario On Time Landscaping via WABC
Last week, witnesses saw a gator lunge at a duck and pull it underwater, ABC7 reported.
Police seem at a loss as to how to deal with the four-legged scofflaw.
After eluding investigators on Wednesday, the reptile escaped the clutches of police on Saturday night — despite being shot.
“Because the threat to public safety posed by this reptile is significant, a Middlesex Police Officer used a safe discharge from a firearm in an attempt to neutralize it, while at close range,” said a statement explaining the weekend confrontation.
The Middlesex park where the gator was spotted is closed for at least 72 hours.WABC
“The crocodile immediately sank into the river and it cannot be confirmed whether the attempt was successful.”
Residents are encouraged to avoid Creighton Lake – known locally as Duck Pond – and Ambrose Brook as authorities try to deal with the gators.
Victor Crowell Park is also expected to be closed for at least 72 hours, police added.
The rogue alligator is still on the loose, despite a days-long police hunt.Dylan Bauman via WABC
“The public is strongly urged to stay away from Lake Creighton and the Ambrose River and NOT to approach or attempt to catch the alligator,” said Police Chief Matthew Geist.
On Monday, officials deployed a drone to scan the area for the gator, but to no avail, ABC7 reported.
The search for the boat continued Tuesday, NJ Advance Media reported.
Residents are encouraged to avoid Lake Creighton, among other bodies of water.NBC New York
NJ Fish and Wildlife is also working hard, asking for tips on the alligator’s location so it can set humane traps, ABC7 added.
The fearsome carnivore is illegal as a pet in New Jersey, although exotic animal enthusiasts have been known to smuggle them into the state.
Crocodile owners in the US have been known to release their large “pets” into local waterways, which may be how the Middlesex chomper got away, the outlet said.
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