See it: Barefoot Florida man wrangles angry alligator using trash can
Shoeless and armed with a flashlight and a trash can, Mike Dragich successfully trapped a hissing alligator on Easter Sunday.
Florida man wrangles alligator with trash can on Easter Sunday
Alligator trapper Mike Dragich used two trash cans to trap an unwanted Easter visitor at a Jacksonville home. The 7-foot alligator was spotted by a woman letting her dog out.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When you get called away from Easter dinner to wrangle an alligator, sometimes you need to use the tools you have on site, which is what one Florida gator handler did on the holiday.
Video shared with FOX Weather by Mike Dragich showed the wild Sunday encounter in Jacksonville, Florida.
He said a woman was letting her dog out when she noticed the scaly tail of the 7-foot alligator slide by her patio.
"I responded from an Easter dinner with family, and improvised using a trash can to remove the alligator from the property," Dragich said.
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A shoeless Dragich used two trash cans to corner and trap the visibly angry and hissing alligator. After getting the gator where he needed it, Dragich brought in a larger trash can with a lid to close the case on the intruder.
Mike Dragich traps an angry alligator using a trash can on Easter, April 20, 2025. (@bluecollar_brawler/Instagram)
The woman who called Dragich can be heard cheering him on as he avoids the reptile's snapping jaws.
After a successful capture, the happy customer gave Dragich a well-deserved high-five. He said no animals or people were injured during the incident.
A word of advice from the alligator wrangler: "Pay attention to your surroundings!"