An early-morning call about a water main break in a Davie neighborhood on Friday led to a police officer and a fire captain wrangling a 5-foot alligator that state officials had been trying to capture for the past two years.<\/p>\n
Shortly before 5:30 a.m., Officer Nikolas Sanders and Davie Fire Rescue Captain Chris Pelosi responded to the 3900 block of Southwest 84th Terrace, where a caller reported the burst pipe and an alligator in the middle of the residential road, spokespersons for Davie Police and Davie Fire Rescue told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday evening.<\/p>\n
When the first responders arrived, the alligator was lying in the puddle of leaking water, said Fire Rescue spokesperson Jessica Montes. The gator lived in the lake behind the homes in the neighborhood and was well-known to residents. Montes said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had been trying to catch the same alligator over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n
The police officer and fire captain went toward the alligator, and it began to head toward someone\u2019s backyard, Montes said. The duo was able to then corner the alligator, and the officer used a K-9 catch pole to wrap its mouth before it started to \u201cdeath roll\u201d several times.<\/p>\n
![\"Davie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/davie-officer-captain-gator.jpg\")
Davie Fire Rescue Captain Chris Pelosi, left, and Davie Officer Nikolas Sanders, right, wrangled a 5-foot alligator during an early-morning call about a water main break in a neighborhood on Friday, June 12, 2026. (Davie Police and Davie Fire Rescue\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n
Video shared with the Sun Sentinel shows the alligator hissing and attempting to pull away from Sanders as he restrained it with the catch pole in a grassy area next to a home.<\/p>\n
Another clip shared with the Sun Sentinel showed the gator lying down on the grass. Police department spokesperson Officer Natalie Benedit said Sanders managed to pin the gator down.<\/p>\n
With Sanders in front, still restraining the alligator with the catch pole, Pelosi came up behind it and tossed a rag over its eyes, the video showed.<\/p>\n
![\"Davie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/davie-gator-towel.jpg\")
Davie Fire Rescue Captain Chris Pelosi prepares to throw a rag over the eyes of an alligator as Officer Nikolas Sanders restrains the front of the animal. (Davie Fire Rescue\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what he\u2019s seen on TV that they do,\u201d Montes said of the tactic.<\/p>\n
Pelosi then straddled the gator\u2019s tail and got on top of the animal while the officer continued to restrain in the front, the video showed.<\/p>\n
They then taped the alligator\u2019s mouth and called FWC, who has since taken it, Montes said.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for FWC did not respond to an email seeking information after business hours Friday.<\/p>\n