Alligator on loose in New Jersey nearly a week as police struggle to catch it

An alligator seen roaming around a New Jersey borough is still on the loose. 

The 3- to 4-foot-long reptile was first spotted last week in a park in Piscataway, just outside of New York City, the Middlesex Borough Police Department reported.

Local residents said they'd spotted the alligator on Monday morning, News 12 in New Jersey reported. The station said that one man, who didn't want to be identified, reported seeing a duck on a pond in the park get pulled under the water without resurfacing, calling it “very traumatic."

Police closed the park for 72 hours starting Monday afternoon "until such time that the alligator is no longer deemed a threat."

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Unsuccessful capture efforts

Police say the alligator was first spotted on Aug. 23, and an officer was unable to catch it on Thursday. Officers who spotted the alligator again on Saturday night also were unable to capture it.

One of the officers even shot "a safe discharge" from his gun "in an attempt to neutralize" the gator at close range, police said in a news release on Monday. Police don't know whether the gator was shot.

Police also have called in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to capture the reptile and relocate it to a more suitable habitat.

What to do if you see the gator

The police department has advised residents to not approach or try to capture the reptile, but instead call the police department immediately at 732-356-1900 or 911.

If you hear an alligator hiss, it's a warning that you are too close and that you should back away slowly, according to the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife.

Alligators have a natural fear of humans, and usually retreat quickly when approached by people.

Gators don't require much food. In the summer, a large alligator may only eat once or twice a week, munching on insects, snails, frogs, small fish and sometimes birds.

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Other alligator sightings in New Jersey

Alligator sightings in Central New Jersey are uncommon but not unprecedented. Most often they are pets that escape captivity.

In September 2018, a baby alligator was found in the Middlesex township of Old Bridge. Dogwalkers found the reptile at the end of a street in a wooded area, Old Bridge police said.

Police netted the animal and waited until animal control officers arrived.

Earlier this month outside Reading, Pennsylvania, a 2 ½-foot alligator named Fluffy was washed away from an outdoor pen at home in a flash flood and eventually found in a nearby creek.

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Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.