Missing gator defies winter odds, found near Roaring Run Trail near Apollo

Two friends on a evening biking excursion Friday had an unexpected encounter in Kiski Township: an alligator.

Robert Perri and Dan Murray, both of Burrell Township, were cycling on the Roaring Run Trail near dusk when they both noticed an alligator ahead on the trail.

“I thought it was fake. So we got off our bikes and looked at it — it was moving slow,” Perri said. “It was getting dark and Dan grabbed it by the tail behind the head and held it. We both rode about 3 miles back to the parking lot.”

Murray held the alligator the entire time while riding his bike for about 3 miles, with Perri serving as reptile backup from his bike.

“It’s pretty cool,” Murray said. “It was heavy. I had to switch arms. It was hissing and wriggling around a lot, and seemed like it didn’t want to be held.”

Murray was not injured during the rescue.

Kiski Township police met the men when they arrived at the trailhead parking lot. Officer Pete “Gator” Forestieri took the final gator into custody.

It was the second successful alligator capture for Forestieri, thus the nickname bestowed upon him by colleagues.

The alligator is temporarily being held by the Kiski Township Police Department.

Kiski Police Chief Lee Bartolicius said the alligator is believed to be Neo, a juvenile gator missing for more than six months somewhere along the Kiski River.

For now, Bartolicius said the alligator will be taken to Nate’s Reptile Rescue in Pittsburgh. Ultimately, the chief said, the plan is to transport the gator to Florida.

“It’s a good ending to the story that it survived, and that it will go to Florida, which is a much better climate for a reptile,” Murray said.

Bartolicius said Mother Nature may have lent the alligator a helping hand.

“I would assume that he could live this long due to the mild winter we’ve had in Pittsburgh thus far,” Bartolicius said.

The friends said helping to return the reptile to captivity is a relief.

“We both knew we had to help — 100%,” Perri said. “It’s rewarding that something we didn’t think was a big deal to us is a big deal to the alligator. It can’t choose what happened to it. We had a crazy experience, but I guess we did (save it).”

Processing their bike ride gone wild, both men were surprised that this alligator could be Neo, after several snowfalls and below freezing temperatures this winter.

“The alligator seemed slow and lethargic,” Perri said. “I still can’t believe it’s alive. It was definitely unexpected.”

After the rescue, the friends, both 33 and construction workers, shared a few beers to celebrate. They said they’ll have a story to tell for life.

“Get out there and enjoy the outdoors,” Murray said. “You’ll never know what you’ll find.”