A homeless Florida man out on a morning swim became the victim of a vicious alligator attack Monday, police said.
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Wildlife officers were called in to look for the gator. He was swimming in Melbourne’s Crane Creek, a popular homeless fishing spot underneath a highway overpass, when the gator attacked. Police were training in the area and heard the man’s screams, Florida Today reports.
The 56-year-old man was bitten in the shoulder by an alligator while he was swimming in the water near a bridge at US 1 and Crane Creek, police said.
“The individual who was on the bank said he was on the water and had hit him. he crawled up on the river bank, and that’s where the officers found him screaming for help”, Melbourne police Cmdr.
Lynch said police rushed to the scene and found the man conscious and in a lot of pain from the attack. So far the alligator – whose size was not immediately known – has not been located. Several Fish and Wildlife Commission boats were canvassing the river. Smith-Brown, however, did not see the actual attack but knew that the victim was wading in the warm waters.
The homeless man’s condition is not known.
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The alligator attack is one of several reported in Florida this year, including a boy who was dragged underwater and killed at a Disney World resort.
