Collier man narrowly escapes gator attack

EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. It wasn’t what a fisherman intended on catching last week, but something caught him.

Nino Alvarez killed a alligator that attacked him while he was fishing with friends in a canal.

“I tried to go bass fishing here, and this (expletive) gator is over here, trying to eat me,” he said. “I don’t even think there’s any more bass here. This guy already ate it all.”

The gator grabbed Alvarez’s foot and started to drag him into the water. However, the fisherman has prior experience with reptiles and knew exactly what to do.

He pulled out a knife and repeatedly stabbed the gator.

“I feel bad for the gator, but it was either me or it,” he said.

Alvarez was left with some puncture wounds on his left hand and credits his high quality boots for not losing his foot.

The fight left him with a crazy story to tell, as well as lessons learned for the next time he goes bass fishing at night.

“The only unfortunate thing was a gator lost its life,” Alvarez said. “I think what I could’ve done to prevent it was to use a flashlight.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was contacted after the attack and is investigating the incident. Gators rarely bite humans in Florida, but the FWC investigates each time it happens.