Large alligator seen walking through Coral Springs neighborhood during early morning hours
Coral Springs, Florida – A quiet Coral Springs neighborhood got quite the surprise last week when a large alligator decided to make a pre-dawn appearance. The unexpected visitor was spotted wandering the streets in the dark, leading to an early morning police response and a bit of social media buzz.
The incident unfolded around 3:45 a.m. on April 23, when a resident called the Coral Springs Police Department to report something unusual — a gator strolling near Coral Ridge Drive, just north of Wiles Road. “Someone called it in and told us a gator was walking around,” said Myriah Archer, a spokesperson for the police department.
Before long, officers were on the scene, keeping a cautious distance while trying to keep track of the wandering reptile. Around 4:24 a.m., the department posted a video to its social media accounts showing the alligator casually lumbering between two police SUVs. The clip, caught in the eerie glow of streetlights, clearly shows the animal unfazed by its nighttime audience.
While no one was injured and the situation was brought under control, the event left many locals both amused and unsettled. The gator, appearing to be nearly half the length of a police SUV — which generally runs about 16 feet — was large enough to raise concern, even though officers never got close enough to confirm its size. “They didn’t get close enough to measure,” Archer admitted.
Police quickly called in help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who dispatched a licensed trapper to handle the situation. However, authorities have not disclosed exactly what happened to the animal afterward — whether it was relocated, released, or taken elsewhere.
Though Florida is no stranger to wildlife sightings, especially involving alligators, it’s not every day you see one meandering through city streets. The Coral Springs Police Department seemed to embrace the state’s reputation for odd happenings, tagging their social media post with the tongue-in-cheek hashtag #OnlyinFlorida.
The encounter, though startling for those involved, serves as a reminder that sharing space with wildlife is part of life in many parts of Florida. Alligators are known to travel during mating season or in search of water, and sometimes that journey takes them into more urban areas.
For now, residents are keeping a watchful eye out, just in case another gator decides to go for a late-night walk. While unusual, the incident brought a dose of adrenaline to an otherwise quiet morning — and provided a striking visual reminder that in Florida, you never really know what might show up on your street.
