A 71-year-old man died after being attacked by an alligator while fishing, authorities said Friday.
Steven Hamilton was fishing at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park in Winter Garden, Florida – a town about 15 miles west of Orlando – when he was bitten by an alligator, according to a release from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Responding emergency personnel reported that witnesses saw someone possibly grabbed by an alligator and pulled into the water, according to a radio recording of the traffic. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the FWC said.
The Winter Garden Police Department confirmed the incident in a statement, adding that FWC authorities trapped and killed the approximately 12-foot-long alligator.
The FWC said “serious injuries from alligators are rare in Florida.”
In June, a 31-year-old woman died after an alligator tore off one of her arms and mutilated the other in nearby Little Big Econ State Forest.
“Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe,” Winter Garden Police Capt. Michael Mason told reporters, according to NBC affiliate WESH 2 News. “Local wildlife, respect them, keep your distance. They seem docile, they look like your Florida icon, but they can be dangerous.”
Mason encouraged witnesses to the incident to contact authorities.
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