Guests at a Virginia motel were in for a wild surprise early Monday, June 16, when a 6-foot alligator was spotted casually strolling along the property’s corridor.
The unexpected visitor appeared around midnight outside a Fairfax County motel, prompting frantic calls from startled guests who found the reptile just steps from their door.
Fairfax County Police quickly responded to the scene, visibly stunned to come face-to-face with the massive alligator.
“Damn! That is an alligator!” one officer exclaimed, caught on body camera footage as he stopped in disbelief.
The officer cautiously approached the reptile, estimating its size by saying, “If I lay down next to it, it’s about six feet.” Despite the shock, the gator remained surprisingly calm and cooperative.
Curious guests peered from behind doors as the officer warned, “Uh, I’d bring your dog inside — there’s an alligator over here.” One bystander responded, “I know, I want to see it.”
Authorities later discovered that the alligator had escaped from its owner during a rest stop. The owner, who was transporting the animal from New York to a zoo in North Carolina, had briefly lost track of it.
Though the gator was safely reunited with its owner, Fairfax County officials enforced state law, requiring the pair to be escorted out of the county immediately due to regulations prohibiting exotic animals in public areas.
No injuries were reported, and the alligator’s impromptu motel tour ended peacefully — albeit with more than a few hearts racing.
