Fisherman, 71, attacked and killed by 12-foot alligator alongside Florida lake

A 71-year-old man fishing on the shore of a Florida pond was attacked and killed on Friday by a nearly 12-foot alligator, the second fatal such attack reported this year.

Steven Hamilton of Winter Garden was standing on the shoreline of Lake Apopka at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Orlando, when the reptile struck around 5 p.m., the Winter Garden Police Department said.

The presence of other active alligators in the water complicated any chance of rescuing Hamilton, whose body was recovered around two hours later, Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza told FOX35 .

Hamilton’s death marked the second deadly alligator attack in Florida this year.

Facebook / Brittany Clark

31-year-old killed in Florida alligator attack

After a 31-year-old Oviedo woman, Brittany Clark, was killed by a 13-foot alligator near her home in June, Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube introduced a resolution calling for the Comptroller General and U.S. Department of the Interior to study the impacts of the American alligator’s listing as “threatened due to similarity of appearance” on Florida’s ability to remove nuisance alligators from residential and commercial waterways. He said the species has been fully recovered since 1987, but it remains protected to prevent trafficking and the hunting of the similar-looking American crocodile.

Using Florida state data , the two 2026 deaths bring the total number of individuals killed by alligators since 1948 to 34. Among them was a 61-year-old woman tipped out of her canoe by an alligator in 2025 and an 85-year-old widow who was dragged out of her backyard by an alligator while walking her dog in 2023.

Police Capt. Michael Mason said authorities were not alerted in advance Friday that an alligator was near the shoreline of the lake, possibly because the lake “has tons of alligators in it.” He said police have launched a joint investigation with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, whose trappers captured and killed the animal.

“Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe,” he said. “Wildlife: Respect it. Keep your distance. It looks like it’s docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous.”

周五，一名 71 岁的男子在佛罗里达州一个池塘岸边钓鱼时，遭到一条近 12 英尺长的鳄鱼袭击身亡。这是今年报道的第二起此类致命袭击事件。

据温特加登警察局称，温特加登居民史蒂文·汉密尔顿当时正站在阿波普卡湖畔的布拉德福德博士纪念公园（位于奥兰多西北 24 公里处）上，下午 5 点左右，一只爬行动物袭击了他。

温特加登消防局局长何塞·盖恩萨告诉 FOX35 电视台，水中其他活跃的鳄鱼的存在使营救汉密尔顿的希望变得复杂，汉密尔顿的遗体大约在两小时后被找到。

汉密尔顿的死亡标志着佛罗里达州今年发生的第二起致命鳄鱼袭击事件。

Facebook / Brittany Clark

佛罗里达州一名31岁男子遭鳄鱼袭击身亡

今年6月，31岁的奥维耶多女子布列塔尼·克拉克在家附近被一条13英尺长的鳄鱼袭击身亡。事后，美国共和党众议员格雷格·斯图布提出一项决议，呼吁审计长和内政部研究将美洲短吻鳄列为“因外形相似而受威胁”物种，对佛罗里达州清除居民区和商业水域中扰民短吻鳄的能力有何影响。他表示，美洲短吻鳄自1987年以来数量已完全恢复，但仍受到保护，以防止走私和猎杀外形相似的美洲鳄。

根据佛罗里达州的数据，2026 年发生的这两起死亡事件使自 1948 年以来被鳄鱼杀死的总人数达到 34 人。其中包括 2025 年一名 61 岁的妇女被鳄鱼从独木舟上掀翻，以及 2023 年一名 85 岁的寡妇在遛狗时被鳄鱼从自家后院拖走。

警长迈克尔·梅森表示，周五当局事先并未接到鳄鱼出现在湖岸附近的警报，可能是因为该湖“鳄鱼数量众多”。他说，警方已与佛罗里达州鱼类和野生动物保护委员会展开联合调查，该委员会的捕鳄人员捕获并杀死了这只鳄鱼。

“时刻注意周围环境，注意安全，”他说。“野生动物：尊重它们，保持距离。它们看起来很温顺，看起来像佛罗里达州的标志，但它们也可能很危险。”