11-Foot-Long Alligator Leaps Out Of Water, Chases Man Fishing In Lake [Video]

A man fishing in Florida had a close call with death when a massive alligator suddenly emerged out of the water and chased him.

The video of the incident was shared on YouTube on May 8 and went viral within days. Tommy Lee shared the video of him scampering down a narrow path with trees on both sides as the reptile chased him down. The man was fishing for tarpons in the Everglades when the alligator charged at him. A camera that was attached to Lee's body captured the horrific moment.

“Oh Jesus Christ, you got to be careful here,” the 22-year-old was heard saying in the video after seeing the 11-foot-long gator.

The alligator made its way up to the shore and, as the fisherman retreated, the gator glided toward the bank and started chasing him. The video shows the alligator chasing Lee for a few minutes before he managed to reach a safe place.

“Well, that put an end to my tarpon fishing… wow!” Lee, known as Chum Dumpster, on YouTube said.

The video, which was also shared on Facebook and Twitter, garnered thousands of views on YouTube.

According to a 2019 report by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), there are about 1 million alligators in Florida. Data collected by the organization showed between 1948 and 2019, 413 unprovoked alligator bite incidents have occurred in Florida, of which 25 were fatal. Residents in Florida often have encounters with alligators and in some cases the reptile is also spotted in neighborhoods.

In March, a woman in Florida was shocked after she spotted a huge alligator in her garage. Torrie Heathcoat, who took to Facebook to share a video of the 7-foot-long alligator lurking around in the garage, wrote: "I may have just had a mild heart attack." In the post she said she and her family had arrived at her home from a Maine trip when her husband, Andy, spotted the intruder. Heathcoat called 911 and posted a photo of the alligator on Facebook as she waited for the FWC to respond.

"Andy is lucky he wasn't attacked — he was less than a foot from him! I thought he was kidding, and I opened the door only to be face to face with our guest! I will never forget that moment of fear!" she wrote on Facebook.