Alligator escapes owner’s yard, roams neighborhood

KENOSHA, Wis. (WISN) - An alligator that escaped its owner’s yard is back home after some kids found it wandering on the street in a Wisconsin neighborhood.

Some police officers in Kenosha have themselves a memory for a lifetime, a call they’ll likely never get again. Lt. Joseph Nosalik says they responded to the call of an alligator in the roadway.

“Turns out some kids enjoying summertime outside playing… spotted this alligator in the street, were playing too close to the street, and Mom yells at him, ‘Get away from the street.’ ‘But Mom, there’s an alligator here.’ Sure enough, there’s an alligator in the road,” Nosalik said.

David Prill, the alligator’s owner, says it escaped from his backyard, where it was enjoying the sun in a kiddie pool. The alligator wandered into the street and was found by some curious kids and their concerned mom.

By the time Prill realized the alligator was gone, police had already recovered it.

“It’s a lot of sad news that we deal with, and to be able to respond to a call like this and have a few laughs during your daytime, it’s badly needed, I think. So, they did enjoy it,” Nosalik said.

Police determined there’s nothing illegal about keeping an alligator and returned it to its owner.

Prill says the alligator could bite, but it really isn’t dangerous.

“I completely understand why there’d be some excitement, and that’s why I don’t tell anyone because then they freak out. But it’s harmless,” he said. “It’s not going to attack you. It’s not going to attack your dog or your cat.”

Prill says he’s just keeping the alligator for a few weeks for a friend who couldn’t have it anymore. He says his folks have a big place in Florida with a pond, and he plans to take it there before the cold weather hits.

He’s also promising to keep a closer eye on the alligator in the meantime.