“It bit me! It bit me!”: Search continues for Florida teen after possible alligator attack

Author: CBS News
Published: Updated:
The retention pond where crews are searching for a missing 15-year-old. (Photo via CBS News/WKMG)

A search was ongoing Wednesday afternoon for a missing teenage boy after a possible alligator attack, CBS affiliate WKMG reports. The boy had been seen flailing in a pond in Orange County, Florida, and screaming, “It bit me! It bit me!” said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

A man who lives in the area thought he saw something in the water while he was in his backyard. He then ran inside to get binoculars and saw the teenage boy flailing and screaming, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Jeff Williamson, who described the witness as credible.

Neighbors have reported spotting a six-foot alligator in the pond in the past, according to authorities. It was unclear as of Wednesday afternoon, however, if an alligator was in fact involved in the incident, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Chad Weber said. The agency is treating it a case of a missing person and possible drowning, he said.

Authorities plan to search the pond until the teen is found or the search is called off. “It could be days, literally,” Williamson said.

Officials asked residents if they knew of any teenage boys reported missing but were unable to identify the boy involved, WKMG reported.

“We received a report of a missing 15-year-old boy near Salem Dr and Marietta St in Orlando,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission tweeted Wednesday. “We, along with partner agencies including @OCFireRescue and @OrangeCoSheriff are on scene and actively searching a water body.”

Video shot from a news helicopter showed at least three boats searching the retention pond.

Two ambulances were also called to the area. Crime tape blocked areas around the lake, according to WKMG.

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