It’s no urban legend: An alligator was found in a chilly New York City lake on Sunday, far from the subtropical and tropical climates where such creatures thrive.
The 4-foot (1.2-meter) reptile was pulled from Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn around 8:30 a.m. and taken to an animal care center and then the Bronx Zoo for medical treatment and rehabilitation.
City officials said the gator appeared lethargic and possibly cold-shocked. It was likely dumped as an unwanted pet, they said. Releasing animals in city parks is illegal. Police are investigating.
For years, New Yorkers have pondered the myth that alligators roam the city’s sewer system, even celebrating Alligators in the Sewers Day as an unofficial February holiday.
Sightings like Sunday’s help keep the urban legend alive, but experts throw cold water on the sewer theory. Alligators aren’t suited to the sewer system's frigid, toxic environment, they say.
The New York Police Department found a trap door and drugs at a Bronx daycare where a one-year-old child died after being exposed to suspected fentanyl.
A poll showed that a majority of Americans support the recent strikes involving writers, actors and auto workers.
A new piece of legislation could legalize gay marriage in Navajo Nation.
A Northern California coroner's office confirmed that actor Angus Cloud died of an accidental drug overdose in July.
The school building where 17 people were shot and killed in Parkland, Florida will be demolished next year.
A contractor from Ethiopia working for the U.S. government has been arrested on espionage charges.
A bus carrying high school students to band camp crashed Thursday in upstate New York, leaving two dead and over 40 injured.
Cheddar News checks in with the coast-to-coast weather forecast for Sept. 22, 2023 and the upcoming weekend.
A man died after being stung by a swarm of bees in Kentucky.
Cheddar News checks in with a coast-to-coast forecast of the weather for Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023.
