Nearly 12-Foot Alligator Kills 71-Year-Old Fisherman at Florida Park Near Lake Apopka

WINTER GARDEN, Fla., Oct. 17 (TodayViralUSA) — A nearly 12-foot alligator killed a 71-year-old fisherman at a park near Lake Apopka on Friday evening, dragging him from the shoreline into the water in an attack that local officials said was rare but a reminder of how closely Floridians live alongside large reptiles.

Winter Garden police and fire crews responded to Dr. Bradford Memorial Park about 5 p.m. after a 911 call. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified the victim as Steven Hamilton, a Winter Garden resident who had been fishing along the pond’s edge when the alligator bit him and pulled him into the water. Responders pronounced him dead at the scene; recovery of his body took roughly two hours and was complicated by other alligators still active in the pond, officials said.

Trappers remove the animal

Capt. Michael Mason of the Winter Garden Police Department said the alligator involved was about 12 feet long — FWC later described a contracted nuisance trapper removing an 11-foot-8-inch animal from the area — and that it was killed after being taken as a public-safety risk. Mason noted that Lake Apopka and surrounding waters routinely hold many alligators.

“Always be aware of your surroundings, always be safe. Local wildlife — respect it, keep your distance,” Mason said. “It looks like it’s docile. It looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous.”

Fatal attacks remain uncommon

FWC estimates Florida’s alligator population at about 1.3 million. Serious injuries and deaths are uncommon relative to that number: the agency has recorded 32 fatal alligator attacks in the state between 1948 and 2025 among roughly 500 total incidents, according to figures cited by the BBC. Friday’s death was the second fatal alligator attack in Florida this year, after a 31-year-old woman was killed in June while swimming with friends near Orlando.

Officials urged people fishing, swimming or walking near freshwater shorelines to keep distance from wildlife, avoid feeding alligators and treat even seemingly calm animals as potentially dangerous. FWC and Winter Garden police said they were continuing to investigate the incident and extended condolences to Hamilton’s family.