Alligator kills 71-year-old man fishing at pond in Florida

A 71-year-old man fishing at a pond in Winter Garden, Florida, on Friday was dragged into the water and killed by a nearly 12-foot alligator, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The victim was identified as Steve Hamilton, according to Florida wildlife officials.

The attack happened at about 5 p.m. in Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, which has several small ponds connected to the larger Lake Apopka. The location is well known for its alligators. The park even has a crossing called Gator Bridge.

"Lake Apopka has tons of alligators in it, so that's not uncommon to see alligators in this part of town at all," Winter Garden Police Capt. Michael Mason told reporters Friday night.

The fisherman was on shore at the time of the attack and pulled into the water, Mason said. An 11-foot, 8-inch alligator was trapped and removed from the scene, the FWC said.

"Always be aware of your surroundings, always be safe. Local wildlife, respect it, keep your distance. It looks like it's docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous."

Hamilton is the second person to be killed by an alligator in Florida this year. Brittany Clark, 31, was killed in June while swimming in Little Big Econ State Forest near Orlando. Her boyfriend and friends tried to save her but she was later pronounced dead. On the 911 call, someone is heard saying she lost one arm and nearly the second and was "losing a lot of blood."

"It's bad," her boyfriend says in the 911 call. "It's really bad. Please hurry."

Alligator attacks in Florida are still fairly rare, despite there being hundreds of thousands of the animals in the state. Outside of 2022, when there were 23 attacks on humans, the total number of attacks usually hovers around a dozen each year, according to the FWC.

There were 13 attacks last year in Florida, including eight major attacks, two of which were fatal, according to the data. There have been 32 fatal alligator attacks in Florida since they began keeping track in 1948. There have never been more than three fatal attacks in a year.

The two fatal attacks in 2025 included Cynthia Diekema, 61, who was attacked while canoeing in Polk County in May; and Deborah Herndon, 73, who was found dead in December at a residential pond in Pinellas County.