NEW ORLEANS — A 9-year-old boy was attacked by an alligator over the weekend while swimming in Lake Pontchartrain, according to Nola.com.
The incident happened on the evening of Sunday, Jul.14 when the boy went swimming with his family in the lake.
The boy was bitten on his left leg and "sustained a laceration and puncture wounds," the New Orleans Fire Department told our partners. NOFD said the gator was about 6 feet long.
Swimmers in the water said they saw the gator moving toward the boy and shouted to warn him before the gator bit him.
According to our partners, "The dad jumped on the gator and was literally beating it, and it let go of his son," Capt. Stefan Schmidt of Engine 13 said.
EMS personnel were on the scene and helped to transport the boy to a nearby hospital.
The nine-year-old is now recovering at home, a spokesperson for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East said.
The department of Wildlife and Fisheries were called to capture the alligator, but we don't know if they found it.
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