JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is getting the spotlight for wrangling a massive alligator in an elementary school parking lot Sunday night.
Mike Dragich, a licensed Florida alligator trapper, alongside Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office employees, trapped and removed a 10-foot alligator that was roaming the campus of Northwestern Legends Elementary School in the Moncrief community.
“I love the people in Moncrief,” Dragich Told News4JAX. “I felt like I felt like Batman. I was there these people scared to death of this alligator.”
Related: A is for alligator? Large gator removed from Jacksonville elementary school property
The gator was aggressive – and used to people – so Dragich said it was a danger. He harvested it and plans to give the meat back to the Moncrief community.
Dragich also told News4JAX he uses the attention from his trapper videos he posts on social media to help his nonprofit “Project Savior Outdoors” to fight PTSD and veteran suicide.
The trapper also shares his life story with others on social media, proving you are not your past. In his late teens, Dragich was shot. He turned his life around after joining the Marines and is now a successful businessman, husband, father, MMA fighter and alligator trapper, according to HHA USA.
Click here to learn more about his organization.