WATCH: Massive alligator charges at man at Florida park
LARGO, Fla. - A Florida man says a large alligator lunged out of the water and charged at him while visiting the same park where a man recently died in the lake inhabited by gators.
Foster Thorbjornsen told FOX 35 News he was walking at John S. Taylor Park in Largo this week and noticed an 8 to 10-foot alligator in the lake about 20-feet from shore.
"He was the biggest alligator I have seen in the wild," Thorbjornsen wrote on Facebook.
He stopped to take some close-up photos of the gator using his zoom lens, but when he looked away to check his camera, Thorbjornsen says the alligator "quickly swam to shore and charged at me," stopping when the gator was almost completely out of the water about 10-feet away.
"The timing of his charge was deliberate. He waited for me to turn and look away. It was nerve wracking and intense," Thorbjornsen continued on Facebook. "But, Florida being a stand your ground state (lol), I took only a step or two back before quickly taking more shaky videos and pictures."
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Thorbjornsen said he wasn't too worried about himself since there was a steep embankment and a tree between him and the gator, but then remembered that a man was recently found dead in a lake with alligators while looking for golf discs.
"This is a park frequented by families with small children who often go to the water's edge. Definitely not the ideal place for a large, aggressive, territorial bull gator."
Sean McGuinness, 47, was found May 31 in the lake in Taylor Park, which is adjacent to a disc golf course. Authorities say McGuinness was known to frequent the lake to find discs and sell them.
It’s not clear whether McGuinness drowned, had a medical issue or was killed by alligators, but officials said he was missing three limbs when his body was found.
Thorbjornsen said that perhaps the gator he encountered should be relocated to a more remote place away from the public.
Alligator nesting season starts this time of year – and experts say it's when they're most aggressive.
Brandon Fisher with Gatorland says if you're on land, you can probably run away, but if you see one while in the water, you should try to make yourself look bigger and scare it away.
"You’ve got to be careful," Fisher said. "You’ve got to watch for these guys, because they’re definitely there. During this time of year, breeding season, nesting season, they’re a little crazier than normal."