Watch: Florida barefoot gator wrangler stops Easter dinner to ward off unwanted guest | FOX 35 Orlando
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Watch: Florida barefoot gator wrangler stops Easter dinner to ward off unwanted guest

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Published  April 20, 2025 3:56pm EDT
Florida
FOX 35 Orlando

Barefoot gator wrangler stops Easter dinner to help woman

Florida barefoot alligator wrangler Mike Dragich, aka "The Blue Collar Brawler," struck again after he recently helped a Jacksonville woman who spotted a large alligator in her yard. He joined Good Day Xtra on Monday to talk about it.

The Brief

    • Florida barefoot alligator wrangler Mike Dragich, aka "The Blue Collar Brawler," struck again after he recently helped a Jacksonville woman who spotted a large alligator in her yard.
    • Dragich said he responded to the call without his equipment, because he came directly from an Easter dinner.
    • Thankfully, Dragich was able to safely trap the angry gator in a trash can and remove it away from the neighborhood homes.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Florida barefoot alligator wrangler Mike Dragich, aka "The Blue Collar Brawler," struck again after he put a pause on his Easter dinner to help a Jacksonville woman who spotted a large alligator in her yard.

Thankfully, Dragich said he was able to safely remove the gator away from the neighborhood homes, even without his equipment.

Large gator sneaks into neighborhood yard

The backstory:

Dragich was at Easter dinner when he received an emergency call from a woman in a new development on the north side of Jacksonville, who said she saw a 7-to-8-foot gator sliding by her patio as she was letting her dog out.

Dragich responded to the woman's call for help, even though he didn't have any of his proper equipment with him because he had been at dinner.

Dragich said he believes the gator must have climbed the fence to get into the yard, because there was no other opening.

Florida barefoot alligator wrangler Mike Dragich, aka "The Blue Collar Brawler," struck again after he put a pause on his Easter dinner to help a Jacksonville woman who spotted a large alligator in her yard. (Credit: Mike Dragich)

‘He is not happy’

What we know:

The gator wrangler's work was captured on video by the Jacksonville woman.

In the video, Dragich can be seen assessing the gator, who was hiding behind trash cans on the property. 

"Stay back," he says.

"His head is long," the woman says.

Dragich touches the trash can to move it slightly, and the gator instantly writhes and snaps its mouth open, beginning to make hissing noises. 

"He is not happy," Dragich says. 

"His mouth is perched wide open," the woman says.

Dragich is then able to move the trash can away from the gator, before grabbing a larger trash can and positioning it down on the grass on its side with the lid wide open and facing the gator.

"Boys and girls, the action is about to happen," the woman says.

Florida barefoot gator wrangler stops Easter dinner to ward off unwanted guest

Florida barefoot alligator wrangler Mike Dragich, aka "The Blue Collar Brawler," struck again after he put a pause on his Easter dinner to help a Jacksonville woman who spotted a large alligator in her yard. Dragich was able to safely maneuver the angry gator into a trashcan and away from the home.

Dragich is able to then slowly maneuver the gator into the trash can, backing him up against the yard's fence.

Once the gator is inside the trash can, Dragich lifts the trash can up and slams the lid shut on top.

"Yeah, baby!" Dragich says, laughing. "We got him!"

"He did it," the woman says gleefully in the video.

Dragich is able to safely remove the reptile off the property and away from the neighborhood homes.

He and the woman then share a high five after the success.

Florida barefoot man wrangles gator into trash can

After wrangling the large alligator into a trash can, Mike Dragich safely removes the reptile from the woman's property.

Who is Mike Dragich?

The backstory:

Dragich is well-known in Florida for his gator wrangling skills, garnering more than 33,000 followers on Instagram alone.

He is also the founder of Project Savior Outdoors, which aims to help veterans and first responders "forge community, ignite purpose and defy darkness through the outdoors."

Dragich served as a U.S. Marine and lives in Florida with his wife and four children.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Florida gator wrangler Mike Dragich.

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