Employees at the Bagel Dock Express in North Carolina were startled when a 3-foot alligator entered the establishment last Thursday. Surveillance footage captured the reptile entering the shop through a back door, proceeding through the kitchen, and into an empty dining area.
Shop owner Jesse Driscoll was initially unaware of the visitor as he was installing a new oven. Upon discovering the alligator near the display fridges, he reacted with shock and alerted a colleague. The shop was closed at the time, and no customers were present.
Driscoll shared the video on social media with a humorous caption, noting that "word of our fresh bagels has made its way into the swamp!"
The Southport Police Department and Animal Protective Services responded to a 911 call and safely captured and relocated the animal. "It's just so far out of the ordinary for a bagel shop," Driscoll told WWAY News. "You can see lots of things. People coming in. Friends coming in to say hi. But never in a million years did I think I'd see an alligator."
This is not the first unusual animal encounter in Southport this year, as a 12-foot alligator was found on a woman's doorstep and an 8-foot alligator was captured at a bank drive-thru.