No Gunshot Wounds Found On Middlesex Boro Alligator

PISCATAWAY, NJ — On Thursday, Middlesex borough police announced they had officially ended the search for the four-foot alligator that's been lurking in their creeks and ponds.

But by Friday morning, it was announced that the rogue gator was captured by a Piscataway police officer.

Although a Middlesex borough police officer shot his gun at the alligator two weeks ago, the alligator was found with no visible injuries Thursday night.

"There were no visible injuries observed," said Lt. Thomas Falk of Middlesex Police, of the captured alligator, which will be adopted by the Cape May County Zoo.

"Just after 10 p.m. last night (Thursday) a concerned citizen in the Possumtown neighborhood spotted the four-foot-long animal near 2nd Avenue," said Piscataway Twp. spokesman Gene Wilk. "Many officers from the afternoon and night squads responded and the alligator was subdued and restrained by Patrol Officer Ian Paglia."

The alligator was seen in the roadway in front of a home at 10:10 p.m. Thursday, about 400 yards southwest of Ambrose Brook. The alligator had been spotted several times in Ambrose Brook, which runs along the Piscataway-Middlesex border, on the banks of the creek and in the Duck Pond in the center of Middlesex borough.

The state Department of Environmental Protection's Fish & Wildlife Division took custody of it Thursday night.

The alligator will be adopted by the Cape May County Zoo, where New Jersey residents can see it.

"Many thanks to all of the officers who quickly worked to protect our community, most notably Officer Paglia for his courage and quick thinking," said Piscataway Township.

Middlesex borough Police Chief Matthew Geist previously said he thinks the alligator was somebody's pet that they no longer wanted, and dumped in the creek.

Elusive Alligator Search Ends; NJ Authorities Think He's Moved On (Thursday's report)