Watch out for wild alligator loose in NJ brook

🐊 A loose alligator has been spotted in New Jersey

🐊 This is the second alligator in NJ this year

🐊 If seen, do not try to capture the alligator and instead call police

MIDDLESEX BOROUGH — Police are trying to find an alligator in Middlesex County that seems determined to make New Jersey its new home.

The gator was first spotted in Ambrose Brook in Middlesex Borough last week, police said on Facebook Friday. Authorities said the reptile's presence has been confirmed.

However, it slinked back under the water and disappeared. There haven't been any confirmed sightings since then.

The alligator is estimated to be around three to four feet long.

"We are working closely with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Conservation Police to capture and relocate the reptile," police said.

This is at least the second alligator spotting in New Jersey this year. Another alligator around three feet long was captured in neighboring Monmouth County in January.

The baby alligator, which was supposedly found abandoned in a plastic tub in Neptune Township, turned out to be part of a scam, the Monmouth County SPCA said. A local man who owned the alligator illegally had been evicted from his home and called the police pretending that he had just found it so that it could be taken from his care, officials said.

Middlesex Borough police warn that if you see the alligator, it's important that you don't try to approach or capture it. Instead, call the Middlesex Borough police at 732-356-1900 ext. 0.

New Jersey 101.5 has reached out to the DEP for more information.

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