It’s no urban legend: An alligator was found in a chilly New York City lake on Sunday, far from the subtropical and tropical climates where such creatures thrive.
The 4-foot (1.2-meter) reptile was pulled from Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn around 8:30 a.m. and taken to an animal care center and then the Bronx Zoo for medical treatment and rehabilitation.
City officials said the gator appeared lethargic and possibly cold-shocked. It was likely dumped as an unwanted pet, they said. Releasing animals in city parks is illegal. Police are investigating.
For years, New Yorkers have pondered the myth that alligators roam the city’s sewer system, even celebrating Alligators in the Sewers Day as an unofficial February holiday.
Sightings like Sunday’s help keep the urban legend alive, but experts throw cold water on the sewer theory. Alligators aren’t suited to the sewer system's frigid, toxic environment, they say.
Two pilots were killed after a crash at an air show in Reno, Nevada.
Hurricane Nigel has formed in the Atlantic and is expected to intensify in the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, Lee brought rough surf along the U.S.-Canada border but the storm is expected to dissipate by Tuesday.
Authorities searched near two South Carolina lakes on Monday for a military jet that apparently crashed after the pilot safely ejected over the weekend.
Authorities searched Monday for a former NFL player after his 73-year-old mother's body was found near a creek behind her suburban Chicago home.
After serving an in-school suspension over his hairstyle, a Black high school student in Texas immediately received the same punishment when he arrived at school Monday wearing his hair as before in twisted dreadlocks tied on top of his head, his mother said.
Dramatic video showed first responders rescuing a man from his vehicle during major flooding.
Russell Brand is denying a series of sexual assault allegations by several women.
Two people are facing multiple charges including murder after a one-year-old boy died at a daycare in the Bronx, NY.
The United Nations is releasing an updated death toll in the Libya flooding disaster.
Two pilots were killed following a crash at an air show in Reno, Nevada.
