Teen Hangs On From Tree Branch For An Hour After Encounter With 10-Foot Gator

A Florida teenage girl was floating on a raft in the Ocala National Forest near Forest Service Road near Alexander Springs when she had a scary encounter with a 10-foot alligator on Friday. Jordan Broderick was left with no choice but to hang on for dear life from a tree branch for an hour after noticing the aggressive alligator lurking around.

Even though the 15-year-old was smart enough to get herself out of the water by grabbing hold onto an overhanging tree branch, the alligator didn’t go away and leave her alone but instead kept its eyes on her from the water. Thankfully, family members witnessed the scary incident, so they called 911 for help.

“My daughter’s stuck in a frickin’ tree, and there’s gators surrounding her!” The mom told the dispatcher frantically. “Oh my God! Please hurry! Please hurry!”

After hanging from the tree for a long period, a report revealed that Jordan was screaming that she was getting tired. Fortunately, Deputy Mitch Blackmon arrived before the teen had lost her grip on the tree.

“My presence failed to scare the alligator away,” the deputy recounted what he saw when he arrived at the scene. “And it began encroaching on my area at which time I fired one single 223 round from my Bushmaster AR15 killing the alligator.”

The 10-foot alligator then sank into the water and did not reappear. A Lake County marine biologist later confirmed that the alligator had died.

This is definitely not the first case that an alligator was shot to death to save a human’s life. Sheriff’s Sgt. Fred Jones shared that July is when the alligator mating season is coming to a close, so it gets even more dangerous. “The end of mating season for alligators means that gators are acting more aggressive and territorial,” he said.

Unfortunately, not all alligator victims are as lucky as Jordan. A Florida woman was recently killed by a 12-foot alligator at Silver Lakes Rotary Park. Shizuka Matsuki was just walking her three dogs when someone suddenly noticed that she was gone and only two dogs were by her car and one hanging out by the water.

The man told police that he believed “an alligator got this lady.” It was later confirmed that his suspicion was true.