Florida man, 71, killed by alligator while fishing at park near Lake Apopka, police say

Silas Morgan, Orlando Sentinel on Oct 17, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — A 71-year-old Winter Garden man was killed in an alligator attack Friday, reportedly while fishing at the Dr. Bradford Memorial Park near Lake Apopka, police say.

Winter Garden’s police and fire departments responded around 5 p.m. to the park, located just off Lake Apopka, to reports that a man fishing there was being attacked by an alligator, Winter Garden police said in a news release.

The man, who was not named, was killed by an alligator that was about 12 feet long, and the gator was killed by trappers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the release said. The man’s body was recovered from the water.

No other information was included in the release, but anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Detective Kevin Burger at 407-656-3636, extension 6320.

Several alligator attacks have been reported in Central Florida in recent months, including three in June within the span of a week that injured two people and killed an Orlando woman.

A 19-year-old snorkeler in Rainbow River near Dunnellon was bitten June 21 on the head and neck. He was taken to a hospital for treatment but released soon after.

Then on June 27, 11-year-old Brodie Dituri was attacked while fishing from the shore at Nelson Fish Camp in Marion County. He had just caught a fish and was releasing it back into the water when a nearly 9-foot-long alligator swam out from under the dock he was on and bit his hand. Brodie, on vacation from Pennsylvania, had two surgeries and his hand was amputated.

The next day, 31-year-old Brittany Clark died on the way to the hospital after an attack in the Econlockhatchee River in Seminole County. A large alligator snapped at her arms, biting off one and almost completely severing the other.

On Aug. 8, Dina Spann, 58, was swimming in Silver River in Marion County when she was bitten on the arm by a nearly 10-foot alligator, according to FWC. Nearby boaters rushed to help her, tying a makeshift tourniquet around her wounds before bringing her to shore. She survived the attack but lost the arm.

High temperatures and below average rainfall have led to drought conditions in some parts of Central Florida, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Bobby Fokidis, a biology professor at Rollins College, previously told the Orlando Sentinel that dry conditions have depleted rivers, springs and swamps. He said alligators are pushed into cramped spaces and water becomes murkier, helping them blend in.

In 2025, FWC recorded 13 unprovoked alligator attacks statewide, with two fatal. One of the deaths was of a woman attacked while canoeing in Lake Kissimmee when she passed over a gator in the water.

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(Staff writers Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp and Cristóbal Reyes contributed to this report.)

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