A 71-year-old man fishing from the shoreline of a municipal park in Winter Garden, Florida, was dragged into the water and killed by a large alligator on Friday afternoon, authorities said.
The victim, identified as Steven Hamilton of Winter Garden, was fishing at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park around 5 p.m. when the animal ambushed him, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local police. The park features small ponds that connect directly to Lake Apopka, roughly 15 miles northwest of Orlando.
Witnesses reported seeing a person pulled into the water, according to emergency radio recordings reported by NBC News. First responders arrived shortly after a 911 dispatch at approximately 5:20 p.m., but their recovery attempts faced immediate obstacles. Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza told local station FOX35 that other active alligators in the surrounding water hampered rescue efforts. Hamilton’s body was recovered roughly two hours later, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reptile Captured and Euthanized
State wildlife trappers responded to the area, capturing and killing an alligator measuring 11 feet, 8 inches long, the FWC said. Winter Garden Police Capt. Michael Mason said officials received no warnings before the attack about an aggressive alligator near the water’s edge.
Mason emphasized to reporters that Lake Apopka is well known to contain heavy concentrations of alligators. “Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe,” Mason said, as reported by local television stations. “Local wildlife, respect it, keep your distance. It looks like it’s docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous.”
Rising Scrutiny and Attack Statistics
The tragedy marks Florida’s second fatal alligator incident this year. In June, 31-year-old Brittany Clark died following an attack by a 13-foot alligator while she was swimming in the Econlockhatchee River in Seminole County’s Little Big Econ State Forest.
Fatal alligator attacks remain historically uncommon across Florida, where an estimated 1.3 million alligators inhabit freshwater wetlands, canals, and lakes. According to state wildlife figures cited by CBS News and The Associated Press, 34 people have been killed by alligators in Florida since systematic record-keeping began in 1948. The FWC generally logs about a dozen unprovoked attacks per year across the state. In 2025, officials recorded two fatal encounters: 61-year-old Cynthia Diekema, who was thrown from a canoe in Polk County, and 73-year-old Deborah Herndon, found dead near a residential pond in Pinellas County.
The recurring encounters have spurred political debate over federal wildlife classifications. Following Clark’s death over the summer, Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube introduced a congressional measure seeking federal reviews from the Department of the Interior and the Comptroller General. Steube questioned the classification of the American alligator as “threatened due to similarity of appearance” to the American crocodile, arguing the status hinders state efforts to swiftly remove nuisance reptiles from residential and public waterways despite the alligator population fully recovering decades ago.
Next Steps
Winter Garden police and state wildlife investigators have initiated a joint inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Friday’s attack. Authorities continue to ask anyone who was in Dr. Bradford Memorial Park and witnessed the encounter to contact investigators as they finish processing the scene.
