Resident Finds Alligator Near Blackwood Lake

Township police on Sunday afternoon rescued a most unlikely refugee from the aftermath of Hurricane Irene: a two-foot long alligator. 

About 1:45 p.m., police responded to the in the Blackwood section, where  a resident reported finding the alligator near Blackwood Lake. 

The resident saw the alligator underneath a bridge behind one of the complex's buildings. 

Before officers arrived, the resident caught the alligator and taped its mouth shut so it couldn't bite anyone. 

Police contacted the state Department of Environmental Protection, and animal control took custody of the alligator, which is believed to have been a pet that somehow got loose. 

The reptile — whose name was not released — will be relocated, police said, adding that they searched the area for any additional alligators, but didn't find any. 

Run-ins with alligators are not as rare as one might think in South Jersey. Earlier this month, a man snared a three-and-a-half foot, live alligator while fishing at the Hamilton Game Preserve in Hamilton Township, Atlantic County.