HER FINAL SCREAM ECHOED ACROSS THE LAKE: NEIGHBOR RECOUNTS THE H0RRIFYING MOMENTS AN 11-FOOT ALLIGATOR DRAGGED 85-YEAR-OLD GLORIA SERGE INTO THE WATER IN FLORIDA
Gloria surrounded by her family (Image: Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith, PLLC)
For 85-year-old Gloria Serge, it began as an ordinary afternoon in the peaceful Florida retirement community she called home.
As was her routine, she took her beloved dog out for a midday walk in February 2023 — it would prove to be her final outing. The massive, 11-foot alligator lunged from the pond in an attempt to seize Gloria’s Shih Tzu, Trooper, but instead clamped onto the elderly woman’s ankle and pulled her beneath the water.
Her neighbor, Carol Thomas, watched in horror as the terrifying scene played out before her and immediately rushed to her friend’s aid. Carol, a fellow resident of Spanish Lakes Fairways, recalled: “I heard something and I looked and Gloria was down, the dog was running up the hill and I saw the alligator come out and grab her leg.” It comes after a zookeeper was ripped apart by lions for 15 minutes as a witness revealed why no-one helped.
Further describing the alligator attack, Carol continued, according to the Daily Star: “She came up for air, and she pushed her hair back you know, out of her eyes and her arm was out and I said Gloria swim toward the paddle boat! We have one overturned in the lake ’cause I figured if she could get there I could shove it out, she could grab it. She said I can’t. The gator has me!”
Acting quickly, Carol grabbed a metal pole, intending to strike the alligator on its snout to give her friend a fighting chance. Tragically, Gloria never resurfaced.
Gloria was walking her dog when she was attacked (Image: Facebook)
It is believed the alligator pulled Gloria’s body to the bottom of the lake. Her beloved dog escaped completely unharmed.
Carol said: “There’s nothing you can do. Just kind of haunted by that, you know, I don’t know what else I could’ve done.”
An expert from Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter cautioned people to maintain a distance of at least 15 to 20 feet from any alligator they encounter.
Amy Kight, Executive Director of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, said: “Do not feed them, do not mess with them, do not try to befriend them. Let them live their life, you do yours and you shouldn’t run into any problems.”
The alligator was caught and killed (Image: FOX35)
Gloria’s heartbroken son told reporters at a press conference: “I never could have imagined the agonizing way that my mother spent the last moments of her life.
“The sudden, violent nature of this attack, thinking about my mom in her final moments, resulted in a whole different level of all-consuming grief.”
The 435-acre Spanish Lakes Fairways complex is understood to be home to multiple wild alligators inhabiting its lakes.
The horrifying moment the alligator jumped out of the lake (Image: undefined)
At the time, however, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission emphasized that residents bore responsibility for remaining alert regarding alligators. The agency noted people should contact them with any concerns, but confirmed no active monitoring of the lakes was in place.
Officials confirmed the alligator responsible for the attack had been captured and euthanized.
It comes after a DNA test revealed the agonizing final moments of a woman, 31, who was dragged to her death by an alligator.
SOURCE: https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/212765/florida-woman-dragged-her-death-11-foot-alligator-neighbour-watched-horror
