Police find alligator on New York street

New Yorkers on Newtown Avenue near 29th Street were startled to see the toothy reptile crawl onto the street.

Police were called and the animal was caught and had its jaws safely shut. Elizabeth Ferguson witnessed the event saying:"That's the craziest thing I've ever seen."

"He was really small, but mean looking."

The animal was taken to a police station and collected by Animal Care and Control. Police spokesman James Duffy said: "It's a big mystery. It could have been dumped from a car or it could have come out of a sewer".

A spokesman for animal control said the alligator would be taken to a licensed rehabilitation carer or reptile sanctuary.

Earlier this month Chicago police responding to a 911 call trapped a small alligator in the Chicago River - just three weeks after catching another one swimming in the same area.

The reptiles are believed to have been kept as exotic pets and abandoned by their owners after becoming too large. In 2003, police caught a 4ft crocodile that was wandering around a park in Queens. It has long been an urban legend that unwanted pets have become outsized monsters lurking in the sewers.

The 1980 cult movie Alligator had a 36 foot maneater gobbling up residents in Chicago after breaking out of the city sewer. But experts believe animals would not be able to survive for long in urban drainage systems. As yet no one has come forward to claim the little monster.


/Sky news/