Urban Myth? More Like Urban Fact – Alligator Crawled Out Of New York Stom Drain

Alligators living in the sewers long thought to be an urban legend is now an urban fact. At least for one gator who really does live in New York City’s sewers. Several witnesses caught a glimpse of an urban legend becoming fact as an 18″ baby alligator emerged from an overflowing Astoria storm drain on Newtown Ave and 29th St.

To the delight of onlookers, cops apprehended the gator that crawled out of an overflowing storm drain and hunkered down beneath a parked car.

“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” marvelled Elizabeth Ferguson, 25, who has lived on the block for three years. “He was really small, but mean looking.”

Although the police could not verify onlookers’ claims that the animal crawled from the sewers — a big-city myth that inspired the 1980 B-movie “Alligator,” and others — but were baffled as to where it came from.

“It’s a big mystery,” said police spokesman Officer James Duffy. “It could have been dumped from a car or it could have come out of a sewer.”

The police Emergency Service Unit lassoed the animal and bound its snout with tape. The caged gator was kept at the 114th Precinct until it was picked up by Animal Care & Control.

A spokesman for animal control said the alligator would be taken to a licensed rehabilitator or reptile sanctuary.

Some experts have called the city’s sewer system a “natural swamp” warm enough to attract gators, but few think they could survive for very long.

Source: NYPost