Alligator clamps down on woman’s arm and drags her underwater, Florida cops say
.jpg "Alligators can reach 14 feet in Florida, the state says. A trapper was being sent to track down the alligator (not the one pictured) that attacked the woman in Martin County.")
A woman in waist-deep water was trapped in an alligator’s jaws and pulled underwater in the South Fork of the St. Lucie River in Florida, according to investigators.
She suffered injuries to her hand and wrist, but survived, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The attack happened just before 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, near Palm City, about a 105-mile drive north from Miami.
“The 27-year-old female victim and her boyfriend took their boat out to the South Fork River near SW Linden Street,” the sheriff’s office said in a July 23 news release. “While in waist deep water with their dog, an alligator bit the hand and wrist of the female and momentarily pulled her under.”
Details of how the woman reacted were not released, but her actions prompted the alligator to release its grip. Alligators routinely pull prey underwater in an attempt to drown it, experts say.
The woman was helped out of the water by her boyfriend and taken to a boat ramp at Charlie Leighton Park, officials said.
She was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital for treatment. Her identity has not been released.
“Her boyfriend and dog were not injured,” the sheriff’s office said.
A licensed trapper was being sent by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to catch the alligator.
A size estimate was not released, but alligators can reach 14 feet in Florida, FWC says.
It is estimated the state has 1.3 milllion alligators and they can be found in all 67 counties, FWC reports.
This story was originally published July 24, 2025 at 7:23 AM with the headline "Alligator clamps down on woman’s arm and drags her underwater, Florida cops say."