8-foot alligator got in line at a bank’s drive-thru in NC. It didn’t end well

For the second time in days, a large alligator was found in the wrong place at the wrong time in coastal Southport, North Carolina.

The latest – and strangest – of the incidents happened Thursday, and involved an alligator seen waiting in line at a busy drive-thru, police said in an April 16 Facebook post.

“This afternoon around 4 p.m., we received a call about a large alligator, struck by a car, in the drive-thru at the Truist Bank on Howe St.,” Southport police reported.

“Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office ... and Southport (Animal Protective Services) worked to free the alligator from underneath a car in the parking lot.”

The 8-foot-long alligator suffered “minor damage to his snout and his tail, but no significant injuries,” the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reports.

It was transported to Brunswick County’s Green Swamp and released back into the wild, state officials said.

Social media reaction to the incident has included a lot of sympathy for an alligator in rush hour traffic.

“How do you run over a gator that big? It amazes me, especially since it was in a bank’s parking lot and the vehicle was going through the drive through,” Sharon Anderson-Sykes wrote on Facebook.

“Maybe the person did not see the gator and backed up,” Gayle Garvey posted.

“A savings account withdrawal transaction on his agenda!?” Patricia Le Roy said.

On Tuesday, April 14, a large alligator was caught sitting on the front porch of a home in Southport, police noted. It was captured and released into Green Swamp, state officials said. No one was injured.

Southport is about a 160-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh and alligator are native to the area.

This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 5:35 AM.