Bodycam video shows moment authorities put to death massive alligator that killed 41-year-old Florida woman



Newly released bodycam video shows the moment that authorities put to death a massive alligator that had recently killed a Florida woman.

Last September, a Florida man noticed what appeared to be a human body hanging out of the mouth of a huge alligator in Pinellas County.

The witness, Jamarcus Bullard, told WTVT at the time, "I noticed it had a body in its mouth, like a lower torso, so once I saw that, I ran straight to the fire department and got them, they confirmed it was a body."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was called to the grisly scene and discovered the body of 41-year-old Sabrina Peckham was in the alligator's mouth. Bodycam footage from the FWC shows authorities wrangling the massive alligator with ropes and chains. Suddenly in the bodycam video released last week, one of the officers is seen using a rifle to shoot and "humanely" kill the animal.

The gator – nearly 14 feet in length – was later dissected, and some of Peckham's remains were found inside the beast.

Peckham was a homeless woman who lived in a campsite roughly 35-45 feet away from the canal where the alligator attack occurred. Investigators found no evidence that the alligator attacked the woman at the campsite in Largo, Florida.

Peckham's family last saw her a day before the deadly alligator attack. A park ranger reported seeing the woman near the canal a week before her tragic death.

Peckham's daughter, Breanna Dorris, shared her grief during a vigil held in September.

The heartbroken daughter said at the time of her mother's death, "It's surreal, but I'm super grateful her community can pull together in times like this. It shows we have an amazing support team behind us in times of tragedy,"

Doris wrote a Facebook post that read: "The past 24 hours have been filled with grief and sorrow and unbearable pain for our family. My mother, Sabrina Peckham, was the victim of the alligator attack at McKay Creek. She was a part of the homeless population living in the nearby wooded area. It's believed she may have been walking to or from her campsite near the creek in the dark when the gator attacked."

Since the fatal incident, Pinellas County has installed fencing and signs warning people to stay away from the canal.

The canal, known as McKay Creek, connects Ridgecrest Lake and Taylor Lake. Alligators have been known to use this waterway to travel between the two lakes.

You can watch the chilling bodycam video here.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

SC diver reveals how he fought off huge alligator with screwdriver after being dragged to bottom of a river: 'I knew I was going to die'



A South Carolina man miraculously survived a harrowing alligator attack in what he believed was going to be the last moments of his life.

William Georgitis, of West Ashley, was scuba diving in the Cooper River on Monday afternoon. He was hunting for fossils at the bottom of the river, and had dove in this particular spot about 40 times in the past six years.

Georgitis rose to the surface of the water when he realized that he was being targeted by a huge alligator.

"When I surfaced, he was about 20 feet away from me and as soon as he saw me, he launched himself out of the water. I mean he was coming at me, almost hydroplaning on the top. He was so determined to get there," Georgitis told WCBD-TV.

He remembered, "Put my arm up defensively and he grabbed hold of it. I mean, he was huge. I don’t even know how big he was because I was just right there. He felt massive."

"I knew his first move once he grabbed me was to roll me," the diver said. "So, I bear-hugged him so he wouldn't death-roll me. I wrapped my arm around his head and my legs around his neck."

The beast dragged him and his scuba tank under the water while his arm was locked inside the alligator's clamped-down jaw.

"I got my screwdriver that I use on the bottom of the river, and I stabbed him in the eye, and when I did that, he shook me like a ragdoll," Georgitis recalled. "Threw me off of him. I grabbed ahold of him because I didn’t want him to roll again."

"I guess he was tired of fighting me, so he wanted to drown me at that point," he said.

The gator pulled him all the way to the bottom of the river, which Georgitis estimates to be about 50 feet deep.

Georgitis hit the riverbed with his shoulders and neck while the weight of the ferocious animal was pressing down on him.

"I couldn’t get up to his eye again, so I went for his gum line and tried to stab him between the teeth where the soft spots were, and that seemed to work," Georgitis said. "He shook me again, pretty hard down there, and at that point, I ran out of air."

"I knew I was going to die right then and there," Georgitis said.

However, he would unbelievably survive the terrifying animal attack to tell his story.

"I wrenched back as hard as I could trying to rip my arm off at the elbow," Georgitis said. "And I got out. I don’t know how, I just thought that I tore it off and when I got back to the surface, it was flopping down hanging like a wet noodle. The guy in the boat dragged me. I couldn’t pull myself up."

Georgitis was rushed to the hospital. He thankfully did not lose his arm from the vicious alligator attack, but he may need surgeries in the future.

He contacted the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources about the animal attack, which will send a team to search for the alligator.

Georgitis is warning other divers about the dangerous creature.

"This gator is extremely aggressive and he’s right there where everybody else dives. It’s a well-known spot and this thing is huge. He didn’t even take a second to attack me. He was on me as soon as he saw me," Georgitis cautioned. "Whoever else is out there diving please be careful."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Man recovering after Cooper River alligator attack www.youtube.com

Alligator kills woman walking her dogs — and recovery effort is interrupted by gator 'guarding' the body



A South Carolina woman died Tuesday after being attacked by an alligator.

Early on Independence Day morning, 69-year-old Holly Jenkins left her home in the Hilton Head community of Spanish Wells to take her dog on a walk. But family members became concerned when the dog returned home without her.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m., a family member spotted Jenkins, unresponsive, near the edge of a lagoon and phoned emergency responders. Police finally managed to recover Jenkins' lifeless body only after dealing with an aggressive gator, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office explained in a news release.

"Rescue efforts were made and an alligator appeared and was guarding the woman, interrupting emergency efforts," the release said. "The gator was safely removed from the area and the woman’s body was recovered."

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officials eventually removed the alligator — a 9-foot, 9-inch male — and euthanized it.

An autopsy will be performed on Wednesday, WTOP-TV reported.

Authorities confirm one person killed in Beaufort County alligator attack www.youtube.com

The fatal attack is the second to occur in the area in less than a year.

Last August, 88-year-old Nancy Becker was gardening near a pond in her gated Hilton Head community when she slipped into the water. An alligator then attacked and killed her. That gator was also nearly 10 feet long. It was later identified and euthanized.

That gator, like the one that killed Jenkins, also guarded its victim.

"The alligator was basically holding her hostage, I guess — I don’t know what the appropriate term would be. It was guarding her and did not want people close by," explained Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, at the time.

The proximity of the fatal attacks does not mean they are frequent.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has reported only six fatal encounters with alligators since 2000, the New York Times reported. Overall, there have only been 24 encounters with injuries — or an average of one per year — in that same time span.

Jay Butfiloski, the alligator program coordinator with the SCDNR, told the Times last year that alligator attacks are increasing because building developments are encroaching on the bodies of water where alligators live. He also explained that walking near bodies of water with pets increases one's chances of being attacked.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'I felt like Batman': Video shows MMA fighter, Marine veteran wrestling aggressive alligator at Florida elementary school



Viral video shows an MMA fighter and Marine veteran wrestle with a 10-foot alligator near an elementary school in Florida.

A large alligator was in the parking lot of the Northwestern Legends Elementary School in Jacksonville's Moncrief community on May 21.

To deal with the hulking gator, authorities called in Mike Dragich – a licensed Florida alligator trapper, MMA fighter, and Marine veteran.

"We get there, I walked through the gate, and boom," Dragich told WOFL. "There it was, just ready to go right there in the parking lot, and we just had to get the job done."

A crowd of roughly 200 people gathered at the elementary school to witness the dramatic showdown of man versus beast.

Video shows the Florida man grabbing the gator by its tail as the onlookers gasped and cheered.

The aggressive alligator viciously snapped at Dragich and vigorously spun during a death roll.

Dragich used a catch rod to hook the alligator and wear the animal out.

He said, "If you don't get these animals tired, they will hurt you, if not kill you."

Finally, Dragich was able to subdue the wild animal, and several firefighters sat on the alligator's back to prevent it from escaping.

Dragich told WJXT that he put down the alligator and hopes to use the meat for a cookout with the people of Moncrief.

"I felt like Batman. I was there. These people [were] scared to death of this alligator," he said.

Dragich drew parallels between trapping alligators and MMA fighting: "A lot of fighters will understand that … when you go to the cage, you’re nervous, but once that cage door closes, you gotta be focused."

When asked if he is crazy for tussling with alligators, Dragich responded, "I am Florida man – that's what I have to say to that."

He delivered a warning about interacting with alligators, "I always tell people be very careful and don't do what I'm doing, on social media. But, I can promise you, that the animals are respected and they are dealt with in a professional manner each and every time, regardless of what it may look like on social media."

He posts videos of himself wrangling alligators on his "Blue Collar Brawler" Instagram page.

Dragich says he shares alligator videos online to garner attention so that he can direct people to the plight of veterans with the purpose to "get these veterans the help that they need."

Dragich is the founder of Project Savior Outdoors – an organization with a mission of fighting "PTSD and Veteran suicide by connecting with the great outdoors and sharing the true freedom that comes through Jesus Christ!"

"My heart goes to our veterans dealing with PTSD and the issue of veteran suicide," Dragich said.

Dragich was shot when he was a teen, then joined the military and served in Afghanistan. Once returned from the Marines, he became an MMA fighter.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Must see: MMA fighter wrangles massive alligator in front of Florida crowd www.youtube.com

Body of 2-year-old Taylen Mosley found in jaws of alligator a day after his mother was found dead, boy's father charged with murder



A statewide search for a missing 2-year-old boy ended in tragedy on Friday when the child's body was found in the jaws of an alligator in Florida. The boy went missing after his mother was found stabbed to death. The father has been charged with the murders of the boy and his mother.

The body of 20-year-old Pashun Jeffery was found dead from "multiple stab wounds" inside her St. Petersburg apartment. There was reportedly a trail of blood from Jeffrey's vehicle to her apartment in what St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway described as “a very violent crime scene."

Jeffrey's son, 2-year-old Taylen Mosley, was not inside the apartment with his dead mother.

The St. Petersburg Police Department launched a frantic search for the missing boy. A statewide Amber Alert was sent out to locate Taylen.

Dive teams searched for the missing boy in retention ponds near the apartment, and police with cadaver dogs and drones combed the area.

On Friday, the body of Taylen Mosley was found in the mouth of an alligator. Police noticed an alligator “with an object in its mouth,” then quickly realized it was a child's body. Officers shot the alligator, causing it to release the boy. The alligator was euthanized.

The dead boy was discovered 10 miles south of the Lincoln Shores Apartments at Dell Holmes Park, which is close to Lake Maggiore.

Police did not specify how the 2-year-old boy died or what role the alligator attack played in his death. The medical examiner is investigating the boy's cause of death.

Taylen's father, Thomas Mosley, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his son and Pashun Jeffery.

Thomas Mosley allegedly went to his mother's house at around 9 p.m. Wednesday with abrasions on his body. The 21-year-old father had been named as a person of interest after he checked himself into a local hospital with “cuts to his hands into his arms.” Taylen was not with his father at the hospital. Thomas was still at a local hospital as of Friday night, according to authorities.

Police did not indicate if Thomas suffered the wounds in self-defense, but Holloway noted that “nothing in our investigation leads us to believe that he is a victim.”

Family members recall the deceased mother and son.

Lakita Denson told WFLA, “He’s always calling his mom on his cell phone. He miss his mom, they calling each other all the time. She really loved Taylen.”

Theo Brickhouse-Sails said, “We just want to say that Taylen is a beautiful little boy. He’s really loving and caring.”

Holloway said at a press conference, “We didn’t want to find him this way, but at least we can bring some closure to that family now.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Missing toddler Taylen Mosley's body found in alligator's mouth; father charged with first-degree mu www.youtube.com


Florida man loses arm in alligator attack, survives being lost in the woods for 3 days. He now has new mission in life after being 'reborn.'



A Florida man was able to not only evade death from a grisly alligator attack during which he lost his arm, but he also survived being lost in the woods for three days.

Eric Merda got lost in the woods at the Lake Manatee Fish Camp in Myakka City on July 17. As he walked in the park about 50 miles south of Tampa Bay, he encountered a lake. Instead of walking around the lake, he decided to swim across.

"Not the smartest decision a Florida boy could make," Merda told WTSP this week in his first interview since the alligator attack.

"I look over and there's a gator on my righthand side so I went to swim, and she got my forearm so I grabbed her like this, she was trying to roll, but she snapped her head, so my arm went backwards like this completely," Merda explained.

The 43-year-old Florida man said he was fighting for his life as the 7-foot-long alligator dragged him underwater three times.

"She's already got my arm, so when we came up the third time, she finally did her death roll and took off with my arm," he said.

Merda described the excruciating situation, "Bones poking out, muscles, if I try to move my fingers, you could see it twitching."

Merda said he was in tremendous pain all three days that he was lost.

"I was screaming at the top of my lungs," he said.

Merda said he couldn't see anything and it took three days for him to find his way out of the swamp.

"I felt like I was walking in circles, I didn't know," he said. "So I followed the sun and power lines, stuff I could see."

Merda recalled the moment that he found help. He told a man, "I said a gator got my arm, he said, 'holy smokes man!'"

He was airlifted to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where doctors amputated what was left of the arm.

He told himself, "There’s no way that this is real. My arm is gone. I don't have an arm anymore. There’s no way. I have to be dreaming or something."

'Gator got my arm': Man survives 3 days lost in the woods after alligator attack www.youtube.com

However, Merda sees a silver lining to his traumatic experience.

"I came out the swamp, naked, with one arm,” Merda told WFLA. "I was reborn for a reason, and I believe that is to motivate people."

He said he now has a new mission in life and he plans to use the near-death experience to become a motivational speaker.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife said an alligator trapper removed a 6-foot and a 9-foot gator from the lake four days after the attack.

Merda has an important message, "Do not feed the gators, and you guys know who you are, throwing rocks at them. I've seen it on the job sites, leave them gators alone."

Also this week, a 77-year-old woman was attacked by an alligator in nearby Bradenton. The woman was taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries from the alligator attack.

There have been six serious alligator attacks in the Tampa Bay area since March. Three of the incidents were fatal.

Sarasota man lost for three days in Lake Manatee after losing his arm in gator attack in July www.youtube.com

'A walking miracle': Drone captures moment Florida man is mauled by a large alligator. He fought off attack but had his skull crushed.



A Florida man barely escaped death when he experienced a head-on confrontation with a large alligator on Aug. 3. The harrowing scene was captured on video by a drone flying above the lake.

Juan Carlos La Verde, who also goes by the name J.C. Defeats, was swimming in Lake Thonotosassa, about 20 miles northeast of Tampa. La Verde was being recorded with a drone hovering above for a video for his company. He accidentally forgot to bring his swimming goggles for swimming in the murky water.

Chilling drone video reveals the moment that La Verde swam straight into a 12-foot-long alligator and was mauled. The alligator snapped at La Verde, and the animal clenched its jaw on the man's head and upper torso.

Pointing to the right side of his head, La Verde said, "I was chomped down on this side, like completely."

La Verde – a former U.S. Air Force pararescue veteran and current firefighter – fought for his life.

"An unbelievable amount of faith in myself that I wasn’t going to die," he recalled of the fight with the alligator. "I was going to be OK, but I needed to act for sure."

With the alligator's jaw clamped on his head, he put his hands into the animal's mouth.

"So, what I think I did, what I felt like I did, was that I immediately tried to open its jaws because I knew I was in a gator," J.C. told WFTS.

"When I felt the teeth, I immediately knew, and then as I opened it, I knew that I either turned it or it turned me, but it was confused just as I was confused, and then it just let go," he explained. "She let go, and she didn’t have to let go."

J.C., who is a triathlete, frantically swam to the dock.

A good Samaritan drove him to the hospital. During the drive, La Verde called 911 to inform emergency officials about the alligator attack.

La Verde underwent emergency surgery for six hours. He spent eight days in the hospital.

(WARNING: Graphic video)

JC Defeats a 12 foot gator www.youtube.com

La Verde's wife said her husband is "a walking miracle."

Christine La Verde told WTVT, "The bite crushed his skull, and it punctured his brain, so they ended up having to do a craniectomy – remove part of his temporal lobe."

The alligator attack broke his jaw and damaged a facial nerve.

J.C. had his jaw wired shut and needs to wear a helmet to protect his vulnerable head. He will need another surgery in the future.

J.C. offered words of inspiration to others struggling and advised them to keep their faith.

"I’m asking you to be tough because the world is a really difficult place, and, man, is it challenging to maneuver without God and ultimately Jesus Christ in your heart," he said. "Find your God. Find him. I get that that's scary, I do, but life is a scary place, so you can carry that load by yourself or have someone carry it for you."

This is the fourth serious alligator attack in the Tampa area since March. The other three incidents were fatal.




Cigar-smoking Florida hero describes courageously wresting his puppy from jaws of an alligator



The courageous Florida dog owner who rescued his puppy from the jaws of an alligator said he didn't think much about it and acted on instinct when he dove underwater after his dog.

Retiree Richard Wilbanks, 74, and his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Gunner, appeared on Fox News Monday for an interview about the dramatic rescue, which was captured on video and went viral over the weekend.

"We were just out for a Sunday morning stroll, and walking down by the edge of the pond," Wilbanks recounted to Fox News' Sandra Smith. "All of the sudden an alligator just came out from under the water and grabbed little gunner and had him back in the water and was swimming off with him."

"I just jumped in and got ahold of the alligator and drug [sic] him up to the bank and pried his jaws open and got him out," Wilbanks said.

Watch:

Cameras owned by the Florida Wildlife Federation filmed the incident, which took place just south of Fort Myers, Florida. Wilbanks was walking with Gunner by a pond when suddenly an alligator snatched the poor dog and dragged him underwater.

Wilbanks, who was smoking a cigar, jumped right in after his puppy and seized the alligator, fighting it for his dog's life.

"I didn't have a lot of time to think," Wilbanks told Fox News. "The instinct of saving Gunner because he's such a wonderful little puppy. I just wasn't gonna let that alligator have him."

Wilbanks managed to free Gunner from the gator's grasp, but his hands were chewed up in the process.

"I had a few little bunch of wounds on my hands," Wilbanks said. "After I got Gunner out of the alligator's mouth I had my hands stuck in there. I had to work them out."

The dog suffered a puncture wound and was in shock when Wilbanks, covered in his own blood, carried him home and surprised his wife. They rushed Gunner to the vet and Wilbanks went to the hospital for treatment.

Gunner has made a full recovery since the attack.

"He's such an amazing dog," Wilbanks told Fox News.

The cameras that caught the alligator attack and ensuing rescue were set up by the Florida Wildlife Federation and the fStop Foundation, KHOU-TV reports. Their purpose is to capture images of wildlife for people to appreciate as part of the "Share the Landscape" campaign.

"I would like to emphasize for people that have pets is to make sure that they keep them away from the edge of the water," the Florida Wildlife Federation's Meredith Budd said.

Wilbanks told KHOU-TV that he's keeping Gunner away from the water now and always on a leash.