Jess Hardiman
A man who was headed to a job interview had the shock of his life when he spotted a 14-foot alligator with a human body in its mouth.
Emergency crews were rushed to a park in Largo, around half an hour from Tampa, on Friday, after the alligator was seen carrying the corpse.
At around 2pm, Florida Fish and Wildlife officers had to wrestle the animal out of the water so that first responders could recover the remains, with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office confirming the reptile was later humanely killed.
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So far, it has not been established whether the person died from an alligator attack, or whether the predator found the body after death.
The incident now being investigated by officers from Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, with an autopsy also due to take place in an attempt to establish the facts.
The grim discovery was made by a local man who was set to attend a job interview that day.
He had been out looking for fish in a neighbourhood lake while waiting to speak to his potential future employers when he suddenly spotted the beast.
"I noticed it had a body in its mouth, like a lower torso," he told Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT.
"So once I realized that, I ran straight to the fire department and got them. They confirmed there was a body."
Local TV footage showed the body of the large reptile being loaded onto the back of a truck, as well as blood on the sidewalk.
Bullard went on to say that he’d never seen a live gator before, so was feeling lucky to have finally spotted one.
However, that feeling quickly dissipated once he realised what was happening.
"But once I saw what it had I was like, 'Is that a mannequin?'” he said.
"It looked pale and white."
After he raised the alarm, teams of police and firefighters rushed to the location, which – Bullard realised to his horror – is right in front of a school, as well as a Boys and Girls Club.
"All I can think about is all of these little kids that go to the school right behind me," Bullard continued.
"They come this way every single day."
Fingers crossed Bullard's job interview was pushed back...