7-foot alligator shows up outside family’s front door: ‘We were scared. Terrified.’

PALM BAY, Fla. (WESH) - A Florida family says a 7-foot-6 alligator startled them outside their Palm Bay home before police and wildlife officials responded.

Sierra Wynn said her family’s home security camera alerted them to an animal in the yard just before 4 a.m. last week.

“I thought at one point he was gonna come through the window,” Wynn said. “His tail was bouncing against the door and bouncing against the house. And it was such a deep guttural hiss and growl and he just looked so mean. I thought he was gonna come through the window.”

Palm Bay police and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came out to the family’s home near Malabar Road.

“We were scared. Terrified. At one point, he was getting kind of agitated with the flashlight in his eyes,” Wynn said. “He actually looked right up at me with his eyes and he started opening up his mouth and growling and hissing.”

Wynn says she’s thankful they got an alert from their camera because she’s not sure what would have happened if they hadn’t gotten a heads-up.

“If we didn’t have the cameras and the features where we get notifications that there are animals in your yard, you know, who knows what would have happened,” she said. “If I had opened the garage to let the dog out. If I had opened the front door - I wouldn’t have known.”

Wynn said she does not know where the alligator came from, but officials said she did the right thing by calling for help.

Officials urged residents who see a potentially dangerous animal in a yard or residential area to contact police, who can notify the proper agency.