A man in Florida lost his arm after an alligator attacked him behind a bar early on Sunday morning.
A patron at the Banditos bar in Port Charlotte was rushed to a hospital by helicopter after the terrifying gator attack.
The 23-year-old victim, who was not named by authorities, was hospitalized with ‘serious injuries,’ where doctors determined his arm needed to be amputated.
However, NBC-2 identified the victim as Jordan Rivera.
Nuisance alligator trappers capture the gator that attacked Jordan Rivera (Picture: WPLG Local 10)
‘I didn’t lose my life, I lost an arm,’ he told the local station. ‘It’s not the end of the world, you know.’
Rivera said he fell into the pond because he was relieving himself, as the line for the bathroom was too long inside.
‘I didn’t realize how big it was at the time, as I was going over there something happened where I either tripped or the ground below me just went down,’ he said. ‘I ended up in the water. And that’s literally the last thing I remember.’
Rivera said he woke up the next morning in the hospital, missing his right arm.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) dispatched a nuisance alligator trapper to the scene, who caught the dangerous reptile on the property before humanely killing it.
The massive beast measured a total 10 feet and five inches. The FWC is currently investigating the attack.
‘The FWC places the highest priority on public safety and administers a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP),’ the agency said. ‘The goal of SNAP is to proactively address alligator threats in developed areas, while conserving alligators in areas where they naturally occur.’
The FWC also reminded Floridians and tourists to stay a safe distance from any alligators, keep pets on leashes, and only swim in designated areas.
They also warned citizens to never feed wild gators seen in Florida swamps.
‘When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food,’ the FWC said. ‘This can lead to dangerous circumstances for yourself and other people who could encounter the alligator in the future.’
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A patron at the Banditos bar in Port Charlotte was rushed to a hospital by helicopter after the terrifying gator attack.
