Gator Stopped Traffic In West Palm Beach Neighborhood: Police

WEST PALM BEACH, FL — A gator strolling through a West Palm Beach neighborhood stopped traffic Monday, authorities said.

“Why did the gator cross the road?” West Palm Beach Police Department tweeted.

The “wayward jaywalker” was spotted in the northbound 4300 block of Australian Avenue, police said.

The residential area is near Bak Middle School and the Florida Department of Health.

Officers shut down the road while waiting for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission to respond and “handle this offender,” WPBPD said.

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A trapper contracted by the state was called in to wrangle and remove the gator.

FWC told The Palm Beach Post that the 8-foot, 6-inch-long gator was brought to an alligator farm.

The FWC operates the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP), which addresses alligator threats in developed areas while conserving them in spaces where they naturally live.

People concerned about an alligator should call the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

Gators are usually deemed a nuisance if they’re at least 4 feet long and the caller poses a threat to people, pets or property, FWC said.