Mary Hollenback was relaxing in her Florida home on March 28, 2024. Then she heard a noise coming from her front door. When she got up to investigate, she made a terrifying discovery. There was a 7-foot-11 alligator inside her home. He was in the kitchen, possibly looking for some snacks.
Marry quickly called 911. Backup arrived from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Emergency personnel were able to remove the reptile. Mary is thankful and has a pretty good sense of humor about this “only in Florida” moment she experienced.
Mary originally thought the noise was a confused human. "I thought it was somebody else who didn't live here trying to get into the wrong house," she explained to Fox 13. The alligator was a shock, to say the least.
The creature got in through a screen door. "He was pushing through that, and it broke the magnetic clasp. The door opened, and he just came in," Mary explained.
Mary called 911 for help because she wasn’t thinking rationally in that moment. Facing an alligator will do that to you. "I was shaking so badly, I didn't know who else to call. I don't even think I could have looked up a phone number," she recalled.
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Mary is so thankful to the emergency personnel who came to her rescue. She was shaken but they managed to get the alligator out quickly and safely.
"Only in Florida are you going to get an alligator in the house," she joked, managing to maintain her humor in this bizarre situation. If you ever find yourself in Mary’s shoes you are encouraged to contact the Florida Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).
