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Grandmother’s chilling last words as 11-foot alligator dragged her to her death in front of neighbor
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An 85-year-old Florida woman had little idea that a lunchtime stroll with her dog would be her final act alive.
Gloria Serge left her home in a peaceful retirement community in the Sunshine State on an unassuming February afternoon back in 2023.
While walking in the 435-acre Spanish Lakes Fairways complex, which is home to numerous wild alligators among its lakes, one of the creatures lunged out from the water.
The 11-foot alligator tried to seize Gloria's dog, a Shih Tzu named Trooper, but clamped its jaws on the woman's ankle instead, dragging her into the water.
Carol Thomas, a neighbor of Gloria, witnessed the tragic event and did her best to save her friend's life.
Neighbor's recollection of events
Speaking to the Daily Star, Carol explained: "I heard something, and I looked, and Gloria was down, the dog was running up the hill, and I saw the alligator come out and grab her leg."
The fellow Spanish Lakes Fairways resident added: "She came up for air, and she pushed her hair back, you know, out of her eyes, and her arm was out, and I said, 'Gloria, swim toward the paddle boat!'
"We have one overturned in the lake 'cause I figured if she could get there, I could shove it out, she could grab it. She said, 'I can't. The gator has me!'"
Carol thought quickly, grabbing a metal pole and attempting to strike the alligator on its snout to save her friend, but sadly, Gloria would never resurface.
It was reported that the alligator dragged the elderly woman's body down to the bottom of the lake, while her dog survived with no injuries.
"There's nothing you can do. Just kind of haunted by that, you know, I don't know what else I could've done," Carol emotionally admitted.
Experts' advice on dealing with alligators
A wildlife specialist from Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter warned people to keep at least 15 to 20 feet away from any alligators they see.
"Do not feed them, do not mess with them, do not try to befriend them," said Amy Kight, Executive Director of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, adding: "Let them live their life, you do yours and you shouldn't run into any problems."
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that responsibility was with the local residents to avoid alligators.
They acknowledged that the lakes were unsupervized, asked people to contact them with any concerns, and announced that the alligator which attacked Gloria had been captured and destroyed.
Speaking at a press conference after the incident, Gloria's son sadly stated: "I never could have imagined the agonizing way that my mother spent the last moments of her life.
"The sudden, violent nature of this attack, thinking about my mom in her final moments, resulted in a whole different level of all-consuming grief."