Three-Foot Alligator Slips Into Southport Bagel Shop Through Open Back Door
November 8, 2026
Fox News reports that a 3-foot alligator found its way into a bagel shop in Southport, North Carolina, and surveillance cameras recorded the owner's surprised reaction.
Key points
- How it got in: On Oct. 29, the alligator entered Bagel Dock Express through an open back door and crossed the kitchen toward the front counter.
- The owner's response: Owner Jesse Driscoll backed away after spotting it and called 911. He told WWAY News the shop was closed to customers and he had been distracted by workers putting in a new oven.
- Removal: Southport police and Animal Protective Services captured the alligator and relocated it, the police department said in a Facebook post.
- The shop's reaction: Bagel Dock Express joked on Facebook that word of its fresh bagels had reached the swamp and said no one was hurt.
- Not the first: In April, Southport officers assisted with removing a 12-foot alligator from a home, plus another found under a car at a bank drive-through.
Quick take
Driscoll told WWAY the visit was far outside the ordinary for a bagel shop. He said he was used to seeing familiar faces come through the door but had never pictured an alligator among them, and Fox News notes the encounter ended with the animal safely removed.
Read the full story at Fox News.