Florida man needed surgery after opening his front door to be attacked by 9ft alligator in the dark

A man from Florida found himself shocked and bleeding after a nine-foot alligator lunged for him on his doorstep on Saturday.

Scott Hollingsworth said he opened the front door to his home on Champions Drive in Daytona Beach around 9:40pm on Saturday night after hearing a noise outside.

As he did, he found 'something grabbed me on the leg and started shaking violently,' which he assumed was a dog.

After getting a better look, he realized he had been attacked by a huge gator, which he guessed was about 'six feet or seven feet'.

He stepped back inside and shut the door to find a huge gash down the side of his leg, serious enough to take him to hospital where he had surgery. 

Wildlife officials said the alligator, later reported to be nine feet, was eventually euthanized.

Scott Hollingsworth is pictured speaking after the ordeal that saw him require surgery

A large alligator here caught by police in New York City in February 2023

Hollingsworth was lucky to get away with only non-life-threatening injuries.

He said: 'Fortunately, there's no damage to my knee, which I was concerned about. Everything's going well.'

Hollingsworth did have plans to enjoy Daytona Bike Week. He may have to wait until next year. 

'Probably won't be biking anytime soon.'

 Officers later found the alligator still near the front of Hollingsworth's house.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called an agency trapper who euthanized the animal. 

Scott Hollingsworth was attacked on his doorstep on the 1100 block of Champions Drive in Daytona Beach, pictured, on the east coast of Florida

Champions Drive is along the east coast of Florida, where further south a woman was attacked and killed by an alligator in St Lucie last month 

Two weeks ago, an 85-year-old woman from Fort Pierce, Florida, was attacked and killed by an alligator which had stalked her from a pond at a retirement community in St Lucie.

Serge died after she was mauled to death by the 10ft alligator while trying to rescue her dog, Trooper, from its jaws.

The dog was lucky to survive the attack. The alligator was later caught and euthanized.

Serge was the third victims to be killed by an alligator in the state since July 2022.