JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A barefoot man jumped into action and wrestled an 8-foot alligator after it was wandering around on the streets of a downtown Jacksonville neighborhood on Monday.
Mike Dragich, a licensed alligator trapper, followed the animal before sitting on it from behind and forcing its mouth shut. Bystanders and law enforcement officers watched as Dragich then picked the gator up and paraded it around holding it like a baby.
Dragich had no tools on him and caught the gator with his bare hands after he got a call to help capture the animal, according to Fox 35, who spoke with him. The trapper was at a hockey game with his kids when the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office alerted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about the reptile.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office posted the video on their X account poking fun at Dragich's attire while he tamed the gator.
"When it comes to the alligator wrestling, we much rather leave this one to the professionals," the post said.
Dragich is known to catch gators and posts videos of himself with them to his more than 70,000 followers on his Instagram account called bluecollar_brawler.
His video from May 2023 also went viral where he removed a 10-foot gator from an elementary school. That time, he didn't use his bare hands. Instead, he secured it with a catching pole and the help of first responders.
"I live for adrenaline, and it's part of the game," he said regarding that catch.
Dragich posted the latest video, which has over 75,000 likes so far. One commenter even suggests he should buy a pair of Crocs for next time.