Latest news with #BlueCollarBrawler
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Two Florida Motorcyclists Hit An Alligator
Read the full story on Backfire News Two motorcyclists riding on separate bikes were both injured when they hit an alligator that was on Interstate 4 near Orange City, Florida. This is the sort of craziness we would expect to be routine in the Sunshine State, but apparently alligators on an interstate are in fact motorcycles involved were a 2021 Kawasaki Ninja 650 and 2022 Suzuki GSX-R1000R. A report from WFTV-9 doesn't give any indication the riders might have been speeding, only saying they were both in the inside lane when they struck the 'gator. Those riders were a 25-year-old woman and 67-year-old man. It's unclear if they were riding together, although we think it's pretty safe to assume they were. After hitting the giant reptile, both sport bikes veered off the interstate. The Suzuki went into a wooded area and hit a tree. Both riders suffered non-life-threatening injuries. As for the alligator, it was also injured in the collision, although it's unclear how badly. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrived on the scene to assess the animal. In the meantime, Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Again, this might be the most Florida story we've covered in a while. In other states, drivers have to watch for deer darting across the road. But in Florida people on motorcycles might hit an alligator crossing the interstate for some reason. While such a thing is a rarity, from what we've been told, just a month ago we covered how the Blue Collar Brawler helped wrangle an alligator that was spotted on the side of a busy Florida interstate, helping authorities relocate it to somewhere safer. All this leads us to ask: why did the alligator cross the road? What's on the other side that's so compelling? Image via Adriaan Greyling/Pexels
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Two Florida Motorcyclists Hit An Alligator
Read the full story on Backfire News Two motorcyclists riding on separate bikes were both injured when they hit an alligator that was on Interstate 4 near Orange City, Florida. This is the sort of craziness we would expect to be routine in the Sunshine State, but apparently alligators on an interstate are in fact motorcycles involved were a 2021 Kawasaki Ninja 650 and 2022 Suzuki GSX-R1000R. A report from WFTV-9 doesn't give any indication the riders might have been speeding, only saying they were both in the inside lane when they struck the 'gator. Those riders were a 25-year-old woman and 67-year-old man. It's unclear if they were riding together, although we think it's pretty safe to assume they were. After hitting the giant reptile, both sport bikes veered off the interstate. The Suzuki went into a wooded area and hit a tree. Both riders suffered non-life-threatening injuries. As for the alligator, it was also injured in the collision, although it's unclear how badly. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrived on the scene to assess the animal. In the meantime, Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Again, this might be the most Florida story we've covered in a while. In other states, drivers have to watch for deer darting across the road. But in Florida people on motorcycles might hit an alligator crossing the interstate for some reason. While such a thing is a rarity, from what we've been told, just a month ago we covered how the Blue Collar Brawler helped wrangle an alligator that was spotted on the side of a busy Florida interstate, helping authorities relocate it to somewhere safer. All this leads us to ask: why did the alligator cross the road? What's on the other side that's so compelling? Image via Adriaan Greyling/Pexels
Time of India
01-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
WATCH: Man battles massive alligator with bare feet and a stick; here's the shocking result
In the middle of a week filled with viral challenges and social media stunts, a very real, very risky moment from Florida has taken center stage online. While timelines were buzzing with debates over hypothetical matchups like '100 men vs. a gorilla,' one man was out on a highway, face-to-face with an actual wild alligator– and he was barefoot. The jaw-dropping incident happened on a busy part of Interstate 95 near Jacksonville, where drivers were stunned to spot a large alligator moving dangerously between lanes. What followed wasn't a call to animal control– it was a direct intervention by a man who didn't wait for backup, and the entire moment was caught on video. According to a report presented by the Indian Express, the man in the viral video is Mike Dragich , a Marine veteran and MMA fighter known on social media for dealing with wild animals in Florida. In the clip, he's seen wearing camo clothes and no shoes as he carefully uses a long pole to move the alligator away from the road. The alligator swings its tail and snaps its jaws, but Dragich stays calm. With cars zooming past, he keeps his focus, finally climbing onto the alligator's back and quickly holding its jaws shut. It's a tense but impressive moment. According to the Indian Express report, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office later confirmed the incident with a post that quickly grabbed attention, stating: 'If you were cruising down I-95/I-295 on the Southside yesterday and thought you saw a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator in the median– nope, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. That happened.' Watch the video here: According to officials, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol, and a licensed alligator trapper also responded to the scene. Once Dragich had the animal under control, authorities helped move it safely off the road and into a transport vehicle, the media report suggests. According to the report, Dragich is no stranger to such situations. Known on social media as the 'Blue Collar Brawler,' he frequently shares videos of himself catching and relocating wild alligators across Florida, often without wearing shoes. His hands-on approach and calm demeanor have earned him a large following and respect among locals who have witnessed his rescues firsthand. As the alligator is loaded into the back of a pickup truck, someone in the video says, 'Never in my wildest dreams,' while the alligator wrangler laughs. It's a moment that shows both relief and surprise from those watching.
Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
‘Totally normal day in Florida': Barefoot man wrestles giant alligator on busy highway in viral video
A video shared by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has equally stunned and terrified people. It captures a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator after it wandered onto a highway in Florida. 'If you were cruising down I-95/I-295 on the Southside yesterday and thought you saw a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator in the median—nope, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. That really happened,' the department wrote. 'Your #JSO joined forces with Florida Fish & Wildlife, the Florida Highway Patrol and none other than local gator-wrangling legend, the Blue Collar Brawler, to wrangle this beast off the road and keep everyone safe. Just another totally normal day in the Sunshine State,' they added. People posted varied remarks, from expressing their wonder to sharing how the video scared them. A few pointed out how spotting an interaction between an alligator and a man makes for a 'Totally normal day in Florida.' An individual joked, 'Bruh was happier than a barefooted kid at a chocolate factory to get down and dirty with that gator.' Another joined, 'So many questions… not enough hours in a day.' A third posted, 'I knew he was the right guy for the job when I saw he didn't have shoes on.' A fourth wrote, 'He's barefoot because usually gators are in mud and mucky water, no sense ruining a good pair of boots. (Totally a guess). This is so Florida.' He is a former MMA fighter and an army veteran. He also holds a license as an alligator trapper. At the time of writing this report, he had over 3.8 lakh followers on Instagram. His videos often show him capturing alligators from various parts of Florida. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), alligators have inhabited the state's 'marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for many centuries'. They are found in all 67 counties. 'Although many Floridians have learned to coexist with alligators, the potential for conflict always exists. Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida, but if you are concerned about an alligator, call FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286,' the organisation stated. As per FWC, the first thing one should do is keep one's distance when they see an alligator. The agency also reminds people not to try and feed the reptiles. As alligators are most active between dusk and dawn, it is advised to swim during daylight hours and only in designated swimming areas.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
Watch: Barefoot Florida man wrangles alligator from side of busy interstate
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you've never seen a barefoot man wrestle an alligator from the side of a Florida interstate, look no further. Video captured on Sunday in Jacksonville shows a local alligator wrangler barefoot corralling a large gator from the median of Interstate 95. At the start of the video, the Blue Collar Brawler runs up to an alligator sitting in the grassy median of the highway, as cars zoom past. Watch: Deputies Wrangle Alligator Outside A Florida High School The barefoot man, holding a pole to snare the reptile, attempts to catch it a few times as the angry alligator snaps at him. After snaring the alligator with the pole, the Blue Collar Brawler drags the alligator onto the side of the interstate. The creature flips and rolls a few times in an effort to be freed from the snare pole's grasp. The brawler gets a good grip on the reptile before holding its snout shut and securing it closed. Florida Man Evades Alligator In Lake To Save Injured American Bald Eagle "If you were cruising down I-95/I-295 on the Southside yesterday and thought you saw a barefoot man wrestling a giant alligator in the median – nope, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. That really happened," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. In the next cut of the video, the brawler and a Florida Fish and Wildlife officer pick up the massive alligator and load it onto the back of a truck. "Never in my wildest dreams," someone from behind the camera says, as the Blue Collar Brawler laughs. At the end of the video, the Blue Collar Brawler jokingly waves traffic on by, as if to say, "nothing to see here." "Just another totally normal day in the Sunshine State," the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in the Facebook post. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Highway Patrol and the Blue Collar Brawler collaborated to apprehend the article source: Watch: Barefoot Florida man wrangles alligator from side of busy interstate
