Watch barefoot Florida man wrangle alligator on I-95: 'Never in my wildest dreams'
Watch barefoot Florida man wrangle alligator on I-95: 'Never in my wildest dreams'
Show Caption
Hide Caption
'Blue Collar Brawler' helps catch gator on Jacksonville highway
The Blue Collar Brawler, Mike Dragich, helped wrangle a large gator in the median along I-95/I-295 in Jacksonville. (Courtesy: Blue Collar Brawler.)
Fox - 13 News
A barefoot man was filmed wrestling a large alligator on I-95 near Jacksonville, Florida.
The man, identified as Mike Dragich, is a social media personality known as the "Blue Collar Brawler."
Dragich, a Marine veteran and MMA fighter, has a large following for his alligator-wrestling videos.
Alligator attacks on humans are rare, but experts advise keeping a safe distance and running in a straight line if pursued.
Just another day in Florida? A barefoot man was captured on video wrestling a giant alligator on Interstate 95 near Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office teamed up with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, and a local alligator wrangler after the gator was spotted recently in the median of I-95/I-295 in Jacksonville's Southside area.
'If you were cruising down I-95/I-295 on the Southside yesterday and thought you saw a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator in the median — nope, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. That happened,' the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post.
In the video, the man can be seen using a pole to engage the gator, who snaps and whips its tail at him in a grassy median as cars speed by on either side. He wrangles it onto the shoulder of the highway, then sits on its back to muzzle the beast — all while shoeless, wearing camouflage shorts and a sleeveless camo shirt.
Eventually, the man and a responder lift the gator off the shoulder of the roadway and load it into the back of a pickup truck.
"Never in my wildest dreams," an off-camera voice says, as the gator wrangler laughs.
Who is Mike Dragich, the 'Blue Collar Brawler' and alligator wrangler?
The man who helped authorities wrangle the massive gator on I-95 is Mike Dragich, better known as the Blue Collar Brawler on social media, according to news4jax.com. With more than 364,000 followers on Instagram, Dragich has built a following by posting videos of himself hunting and wrestling alligators across Florida.
Goodbye, gator: 'It tore us all up': Residents band together to mourn Walter, the neighborhood alligator
Dragich, who's also an mixed martial arts fighter and a Marine veteran, seems to enjoy barefoot brawling inside and outside the octagon: According to Outkick.com, he wrestled another gator on Easter Sunday. In an April 20, post, Dragich's Instagram shows video of him coaxing an angry alligator into a large trash can, quickly closing the lid as the animal snaps its massive jaws, and then wheeling the creature away.
"Taking the trash out in Florida," the caption reads. He explains that a resident letting her dog out noticed a long tail on the patio. He "improvised using a trash can" to remove the gator.
"Thankfully, no animals or people were injured!" he wrote, cautioning, "Pay attention to your surroundings!"
What to do if you encounter an alligator
Alligators are common in Florida, as well as in southern Texas, Louisiana, and parts of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, according to Defenders of Wildlife. They can move quickly in water, and while they're generally slower on land, they're can still be quick — and dangerous to humans and other animals.
Attacks on humans, though, are rare: "With how many people there are and how many alligators there are, it's really surprising it doesn't happen more often," Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida, told USA TODAY in 2022.
Alligators breed and seek out new habitats in spring and summer, but they have a natural fear of humans and will usually retreat when approached, seeing humans as neither threat nor food, Mazzotti said. They only attack when threatened or cornered, especially on land. So experts advise avoiding waterways where alligators might be present.
Maintaining a distance of at least 30 feet from an alligator is best, as they can run fast in short spurts. If an alligator chases you, experts from the University of Florida say to run in a straight line. In the event of an attack, poke at its eyes, and punch and kick around its face and head. The gator's gag reflex can be induced by jamming objects in the back of its mouth, so when it tries to reposition prey, that affords an opportunity to escape.
"If you should be attacked, fight like your life depends on it because it does," Mazzoti said.
Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@gannett.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Neglected Mom Dog 'Gave Everything' So Puppies Could Live—Now It's Her Turn
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A mom dog rescued in an alarming state of neglect, having given everything to make sure her puppies survived, is seeking a forever home to call her own. An estimated 10 million animals die from abuse each year in the U.S., according to Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on animal sheltering. When Deb was first spotted wandering around outside the home of one of the foster carers at Shultz's Guest House (SGH), a dog rescue shelter located in Dedham, Massachusetts, it was obvious she needed help. "She was emaciated and clearly nursing. One of her puppies was seen wandering alongside her," Merrill Fortier, from SGH, told Newsweek. "We later discovered that the person responsible for her care hadn't been feeding her or her litter, who were about 7 or 8 weeks old at the time. Deb was starving, and her milk was the only thing keeping her babies alive." According to Fortier, Deb's owner was a "known drug user" who did little to care for his canine companion. "Deb had been left to survive on her own. Her owner had told our foster that the filthy mattress by the side of the road was 'her bed,'" she said. "Despite all this, she held on through the hardships. She's only 2 or 3 years old, but what she's endured is unimaginable." Aware there were likely more puppies around the property, the foster carer asked the man living with Deb and her pups to willingly surrender all of the dogs as it would "be in their best interest." He agreed and, soon enough, Deb and her puppies were taken away. It was good timing. "Just four days later, their owner's house was destroyed in a meth-related fire," Fortier said. All of the dogs have made incredible progress in the time since their rescue. Having nursed them through such a difficult period, Deb has now watched each and every one of her puppies get adopted. Fortier would like to see the same happen with Deb. "She's great with other dogs, adores people including kids, and carries herself with confidence," Fortier said. "Her strength and gentle heart shine through and there's no trace of bitterness in her." As a video posted to the shultzsguest Instagram detailing her journey account sums up best, Deb "gave everything" so that her puppies could survive and ultimately thrive despite such difficult beginnings. Now it's her turn. "Mama dogs like Deb are among the most resilient and loving we encounter," Fortier said. "As a pit bull, she also stands as a reminder of how misunderstood these dogs still are even though they make the most loyal, affectionate family pets."
New York Post
16 hours ago
- New York Post
Grieving parents awarded $2.25M after Georgia doctor plastered videos of their decapitated baby on social media
A Georgia couple whose baby was decapacitated during childbirth was awarded a $2.25 million verdict after their pathologist posted graphic autopsy videos on social media without their consent. Dr. Jackson Gates and his Atlanta-based business will have to fork over the large sum to Jessica Ross and Traveon Taylor Sr. after a Fulton County jury found him liable of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and fraud on Wednesday. 'This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby,' attorney's for the grieving parents said, noting that the doctor 'poured salt into the couple's already deep wounds.' 3 Jessica Ross and Treveon Taylor Sr., parents of a baby who was decapitated during childbirth. AP 'Gates, in turn, repaid this trust by posting horrific images of their child for the world to see.' The heartbroken couple hired the twisted doctor to perform an autopsy on their deceased newborn two days after their obstetrician allegedly applied excessive force to the baby's neck when its shoulders became stuck in Ross's pelvic area, causing it to detach during the traumatic July 2023 delivery. 3 The traumatic delivery occurred at Southern Regional Medical Center in July 2023. ERIK S LESSER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The baby's head was delivered vaginally, but the rest of the body was removed via C-section. The death was later ruled a homicide. Gates posted numerous videos and photos to his Instagram later that month, showing the grisly postmortem examination of their infants 'decapitated, severed head,' the couple said in their lawsuit. The deranged pathologist initially removed the footage after receiving a letter from the couple's attorney — but later reposted them, according to the lawsuit. 3 The couple was awarded $2.25 million in a lawsuit against their pathologist. AP Gates' attorney, Ira Livant, said his client typically documents his autopsy's on social media to educate fellow pathologists and highlight the importance of independent examinations in cases where families suspect medical misconduct. 'Dr. Gates testified that he is deeply sorry for any harm that he unintentionally caused the plaintiffs,' Livant said Saturday. 'Had he known for one second that they would see that and that they would know it was their child, he would never have done it.' The couple will receive $2 million in compensatory damages and an additional $250,000 in punitive damages from Gates and his company, Medical Diagnostics Choices, per the judgement. The bereaved parents have separate lawsuits pending against the delivering doctor and the Riverdale hospital where the horrific incident took place. With Post wires.
Los Angeles Times
16 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Irvine animal trainer and his girlfriend arrested in connection with death of 10 dogs
An Irvine animal trainer and his girlfriend were arrested Thursday night after police connected the couple to the death of at least 10 dogs — with nine believed to have perished on a single day. Kwong 'Tony' Chun Sit, 53, of Irvine, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and destruction of evidence, according to the Irvine Police Department. Sit's girlfriend, Tingfeng Liu, 23, of Vista, was arrested on suspicion of the same charges. Shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, a pet owner reached out to the Irvine Police Department to report that their dog trainer sent a message saying their dog had died in its sleep and had been cremated, according to a news release. 'The one family reached out to us [and] thought it was kind of suspicious that their healthy dog died with this trainer,' said Kyle Oldoerp, a spokeperson for the Irvine Police Department. The department's Animal Services Unit began investigating and quickly realized it wasn't a single dog. The tally rose to 10, and officials are searching for more potential victims. One dog died last week and was cremated, with the remains now with the family, Oldoerp said. It appears nine other dogs died on or around Wednesday, according to Oldoerp. The deceased dogs were taken to multiple crematoriums and Oldoerp said he believed police were able to retrieve all of their bodies. Irvine police said they are working with veterinary professionals to perform necropsies to determine how the dogs died. 'If they all died of an accidental poisoning, or something that was all the same, then it's like, OK, maybe this is accidental,' Oldoerp said. 'But if it's not, and they're different causes, then that could take us down a different path.' Even if the deaths are determined to be accidental, it doesn't mean the charges will be dropped. Oldoerp likened the situation to a parent endangering a child's welfare by leaving them in a car — without malicious intent. 'He's still responsible for the well-being of these animals,' he said. Oldoerp added that it appears the couple sought to destroy evidence by attempting to cremate the dogs. According to Irvine police, Sit worked throughout Southern California under different company names, including 'Happy K9 Academy.' Owners of dogs that appear to have died while in Sit's care took to Instagram to call for justice for their dogs. Aimee Gutierrez said on Instagram that her family rescued a 9-month-old Belgian Malinois three weeks ago from the pound and named her Saint. According toa Thursday post, they sent Saint to a trainer but were informed by text that she had passed away. 'Saint deserved better,' she wrote. 'She was supposed to come home to a life of love, safety and second chances. I will never stop fighting for her — and for the other animals whose voices were taken away too soon.' Those who have information related to the case or whose dog died in the care of trainer Sit are asked to contact rsteen@
