Latest news with #ChristopherMartinez
USA Today
13 hours ago
- General
- USA Today
Watch this Florida officer from New York respond to his first alligator call
Watch this Florida officer from New York respond to his first alligator call Show Caption Hide Caption See this officer's hilarious first encounter with a (small) gator This former New Yorker squealed and shook as he was handed a wiggling animal during his first gator call as a Florida cop. A Florida police officer from New York found himself squealing and bolting away as he responded to his first alligator call this month. Police in Largo shared a video of the encounter, as Officer Christopher Martinez, from Long Island, tried to work up the courage to hold the alligator. 'While most of our team handled it like … seasoned pros, one of our newer officers from New York experienced his very first run-in with a gator and it showed,' the Largo Police Department wrote. 'Let's just say there was some jumping and maybe some squealing.' After colleagues snapped a photo of Martinez with the gator, he handed the animal back over, sending the gator's tail flapping. 'Ahhh, oh God!' Martinez yelled as he ran away and colleagues burst into laughter. Watch the encounter in the video at the top of the story. Watch: Elusive deep-sea squid caught on camera for the first time Florida officer's first alligator call Martinez is a police officer in Largo, Florida, about 4½ miles southeast of Clearwater. He first joined the Largo Police Department in November 2024, a department spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY. Around 5 p.m. on June 5, a homeowner called police for help removing the gator from their property, the spokesperson said. It was Martinez's first alligator call, the department said. In the video the department captured, Martinez couldn't help but notice how intimidating the animal looked. 'You have big teeth. I have tiny fingers,' he said before pretending to throw up or dry-heave. 'Do not drop the gator' Martinez then mentally prepared himself to hold the gator, checking to make sure the gator's handler would take the reptile back once he overcame his fear and held the animal. As Martinez tried to hype himself up, the officer holding the alligator made sure he knew the rules. 'Do not drop the gator,' the officer said. 'I will drop you if you drop the gator.' His colleague noted that the gator was 'hissing a little bit,' to which Martinez replied 'Oh, that's great.' Welcome to Florida As his colleague stepped forward to hand him the gator, Martinez had to set a boundary. 'Let me do it on my own,' he said, smiling timidly and noting that the alligator whose mouth was taped shut had 'so much bite force.' As a fellow officer handed him the gator, Martinez tried to balance the panic that washed over him with the bravery he needed for the photo op. 'Take a picture. Take a picture of me, for the love of God.' Police joked that no officers were harmed during the ordeal and the gator has since been safely relocated to Taylor Lake. 'Officer Martinez, our NY transplant, received his official welcome to Florida,' they wrote. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
CBS News
17 hours ago
- CBS News
Video shows Tampa Bay police officer, originally from New York, "squealing" during first alligator call: "Very Florida situation"
A New Yorker recently hired as a Tampa Bay cop is going viral for his reaction while doing one of the most Florida things in the state: wrangling an alligator. Officer Christopher Martinez, who joined the Largo Police Department in November, received his first alligator nuisance call on Thursday. The city is about a 20-mile drive west of Downtown Tampa. To commemorate the special moment, Largo Police caught the entire encounter on camera. "While most of our team handled it like seasoned pros, one of our newer officers from New York experienced his very first run-in with a gator, and it showed," read the Facebook reel caption. "Let's just say there was some jumping and maybe some squealing." And, that "jumping" and "squealing" didn't come from the alligator — throughout the video, Martinez tries to psych himself up with the help of other officers, wearing gloves, asking for step-by-step instructions, taking deep breaths and making sure another officer would "take him back" if the handoff went badly. "You have big teeth, I have tiny hands," Martinez tells the alligator before his fellow officer hands him the reptile. The handoff lasted just long enough for a photo op and ended with Martinez screaming and running away as the alligator whipped around in his hands. As any alligator video does, the clip went viral, with Martinez's priceless interaction gathering over 1.2 million views and amassing over 54,000 likes, 11,000 shares and 3,600 comments as of June 12. No animals were harmed in the video, as Largo Police said the alligator was released in a wilderness area after officers responded.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Watch as newly hired cop from New York encounters his first Florida alligator
A New York transplant recently hired to be a cop in Florida is getting laughs on social media for his uncomfortable reaction to being handed a writhing alligator. The nuisance gator call was a first for Officer Christopher Martinez, who joined the Largo Police Department in November, department officials told McClatchy News on June 12. Video shows the predator was a juvenile and its jaws were taped shut, but that didn't seem to matter to Martinez. 'Officers recently responded to a home for a very Florida situation — an alligator wandered onto the property,' Largo police reported in a June 11 social media post. 'While most of our team handled it like seasoned pros, one of our newer officers from New York experienced his very first run-in with a gator and it showed! Let's just say there was some jumping and maybe some squealing.' Martinez was clearly being a good sport when he volunteered to hold the hissing alligator. However, he did so only after donning gloves, asking for step-by-step instructions, taking deep breaths, and making sure another officer would 'take him back' if things went badly. 'You have big teeth. I have tiny fingers,' Martinez said to 'Mr. Gator.' The handoff lasted about 30 seconds and concluded with Martinez screaming as the alligator whipped around in his hands. His reaction has been viewed over 1.2 million times on social media, and had amassed more than 30,000 comments and reactions on Facebook as of June 12. This includes a few women who asked Martinez out on a date. 'Wait til we have a cold snap and one of the iguanas fall out the tree and land on him,' Glenn Pennell wrote on the department's Facebook page. 'Wait until he finds out they climb fences too,' Melissa Blount said. 'New Yorkers all hard core until a baby dinosaur arrives,' Jennifer Alexander posted. The alligator was released in a wilderness area, police officials said. 'No officers were harmed and Officer Martinez, our N.Y. transplant, received his official welcome to Florida!' the department wrote. Largo is about a 20-mile drive west from downtown Tampa.
