NYPD, Animal Care & Control Capture Alligator Walking Down Inwood Street
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It takes a lot to make New Yorkers do a double take.
But a 3-foot-long alligator strolling down the street in Inwood Thursday certainly caught the attention of many.
"I came out real quick and there was bunch of police officers outside and there was a little, small crocodile facing the gate,"Paul Perez told 1010 WINS' Al Jones.
So this alligator was crossing 9th Ave in #Inwood...no, really. At 205 Str. Cops took him to Animal Control #whatnext pic.twitter.com/EG5Z3bkQPl
— NYPD 34th Precinct (@NYPD34Pct) July 23, 2015
The gator was spotted walking down the sidewalk on West 205th Street just off 9th Avenue.
Perez said he didn't feel there was any danger.
"No, no, it was a baby," he said. "I dunno, it just came up the river?"
The street ends with a small park at the Harlem River.
Police sources told CBS2 investigators believe the gator was a pet that was set loose.
The alligator was taken away by Animal Care and Control. The agency is now seeking to place it with a wildlife rehabilitator.
This isn't the first time an alligator has been found in New York City.
Earlier this week, a Brooklyn man was charged after police discovered nine boa constrictors and an alligator inside his home during a raid.