Doorbell camera catches 8-foot gator at Florida home
A Palm Bay family said a security camera alert warned them before they opened the door to an alligator outside their home.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
A Florida family’s security camera did more than catch a visitor on video. It warned them that an 8-foot alligator was waiting at the front door.
The early morning scare happened at Sierra Wynn’s home off Malabar Road in Palm Bay, according to UPI. Wynn shared video of the reptile outside the house, and told WESH-TV the animal’s size and behavior made the moment frightening for her family.
Wynn said she feared the gator might force its way inside as it moved near the entrance.
“I thought at one point he was gonna come through the window,” Wynn told WESH-TV. “His tail was bouncing against the door and against the house. It was such a deep, guttural hiss and growl. He just looked so mean. I thought he was gonna come through the window.”
The camera notification woke the family before anyone opened the door, according to Wynn. That alert, she said, may have kept the close call from becoming something far worse.
“If we didn't have the cameras and the features where we get notifications that there's an animal in the yard, who knows what would have happened,” Wynn said. “If I had opened the garage to let the dog out, or if I had opened the front door, I wouldn't have known.”
Police and wildlife trapper respond
Palm Bay police went to the home, UPI reported. A trapper with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also responded.
Wynn told WESH-TV the family was frightened as the gator reacted near the home, especially when a flashlight appeared to agitate it.
“We were scared. Terrified,” Wynn said. “At one point, when he was getting kind of agitated with the flashlight in his eyes, he actually looked right up at me. He started opening his mouth and growling and hissing.”
The trapper safely removed the alligator from the property, according to UPI.
The encounter adds one more Florida entry to the file marked: check the camera before opening the door. In Wynn’s case, the device did not just record the moment. It gave the family time to see what was outside before anyone stepped into the path of the animal.
This story draws on original reporting from UPI.