Alligator Found Dead In Newark's Weequahic Park

Authorities removed a dead, four-foot long alligator from Weequahic Park on Tuesday morning.

A male jogger was noticed the animal at 7 a.m. and contacted the Essex County Sheriff’s Command Post, according to authorities.

The alligator’s remains were turned over to the Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey on Evergreen Street, authorities stated.

“It appears that the reptile may have been someone’s pet and was dumped near the park’s lake,” Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated. “We have never had a similar experience or a report of a gator sighting in any of our county park’s waterways. Maybe the owner believed Weequahic Lake’s waters had some magical healing power.”

According to the Essex County website, at 80 acres, Weequahic Park is the largest lake in the county.

The park has a wide variety of activities playgrounds, jogging trail, basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball fields, softball fields and picnic areas, the county website states.

OTHER ALLIGATOR SIGHTINGS

Although rare, there have been other alligator sightings in the urban areas around North Jersey in recent years.

In October, authorities pulled a live alligator from the Passaic River.

• See related article: Alligator Captured From Passaic River

Also that month, police caught a live alligator that was first spotted in a pond in Manhattan.

• See related article: Manhattan’s Alligator Has Been Captured

And in April, Long Branch police got a surprise when they found a live gator while conducting a search warrant of a home.

• See related article: Alligator Taken Into Custody During Search Warrant Execution