Overview

• The reptile escaped at a rest stop while being driven from New York to a North Carolina zoo.
• Fairfax County Police responded after guests saw the alligator outside their motel room around midnight on June 16.
• Police body-cam footage shows officers startled by the reptile’s presence and estimating its 6-foot length.
• State code and county ordinances prohibit nonnative reptiles from escaping or being kept within Fairfax County.
• No injuries were reported and authorities reunited the alligator with its owner without incident.