Alligator sneaks into North Carolina bagel shop, sends owner scrambling in encounter caught on camera

A three-foot alligator wandered into Bagel Dock Express in Southport, North Carolina, on 29 October, startling owner Jesse Driscoll and prompting him to call 911. The shop was closed to customers, and the reptile was safely captured and relocated by police and Animal Protective Services.

The alligator entered through an open back door while workers were installing a new oven, then moved through the kitchen towards the counter. Driscoll said the encounter was far outside the ordinary for a bagel shop; Southport had also seen other unusual alligator sightings this year, including a 12-foot animal removed from a home in April.