Winter Garden fisherman dies in alligator attack at local park

The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that a 71-year-old man died from blunt force injury to his left leg and drowning following an alligator attack at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park in Winter Garden, according to WKMG News 6 ClickOrlando.

The man, who fished daily at the park, was attacked by an alligator measuring just under 12 feet long while attempting to take a photo of himself holding a fish he had caught. Neighbors witnessed the alligator grab him by the leg and pull him underwater.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission later removed the alligator from the water. The manner of death was ruled an accident by the medical examiner’s office.

This incident marks the second fatal alligator encounter in Central Florida in 2026. Earlier in June, a woman died after an alligator bite while swimming in the Econlockhatchee River near Seminole County, WKMG reported.