Stranded Father and Son Rescued After Being Surrounded by ‘Hungry Alligators’ in Florida Everglades

Stranded Father and Son Rescued After Being Surrounded by ‘Hungry Alligators’ in Florida Everglades

The two were stranded and barefoot after their ATV got stuck in the mud and ran out of gas

Charna Flam

Wed, December 10, 2025 at 1:20 AM UTC

2 min read

Collier County Sheriff's Office/Facebook A father and son were rescued from — Collier County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
A father and son were rescued from "hungry" alligators

NEED TO KNOW

A father and son were stranded in the Florida Everglades on Dec. 4 when their ATV got stuck in the mud
The father called 911 just before sunset and reported, "The alligators are hungry"
The two were successfully rescued by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Aviation unit, officials said

A man and his son were safely rescued after being stranded in the Big Cypress National Park Preserve and surrounded by "hungry" alligators.

The father and son, whose identities have not been revealed, were riding an ATV in the Florida Everglades in the Big Cypress National Park Preserve on Dec. 4.

Thirty minutes before sunset, the father called 911 and said they got stuck when the vehicle ran out of gas, according to WMGT.

“We got stuck in a mud hole,” the father is heard saying in the 911 audio dispatch shared by Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). “Now we’re just here stranded, pretty far.” He later added that he used the remainder of the vehicle's fuel trying to get out of the mud but failed.

The man said he and his son were “almost out of water,” and had no food, water or flashlights. The two were also barefoot after losing their shoes in the thick mud. “So we’re barefoot,” he said, according to WMGT.

As the sun began to set, they were able to start a fire to stay warm. But they still had to face the wildlife.

“The sun’s going down and the alligators are hungry, buddy,” the man said, according to WMGT.

“And when the sun goes down in the middle of the Everglades, you need to get people out," Sheriff Kevin Rambosk later said.

The first responders located the two via helicopter, and footage shows the pair waving their arms in the air to attract the attention of their rescuers. Their small fire also helped the CCSO aviation unit locate them.

The two were rescued from the Everglades via helicopter just before sunset. No one was injured.

Collier County Sheriff's Office/Facebook Footage from the rescue — Collier County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Footage from the rescue

"This is another example of CCSO’s great training put into practice and the success that comes from seamless partnerships," the CCSO wrote in its news release.

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PEOPLE reached out to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

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