Imagine Phoenix Norwood’s surprise when he heard there was a five-foot alligator swimming among the boats at The Wharf Marina in Southwest D.C.

“At first I heard about it … then I started looking for it, and I actually saw it twice,” Norwood told WTOP.

The 23-year-old resident of The Wharf thought the gator was fake at first.

Then, it started swimming. That’s when he grabbed a dip net and fished it out Thursday.

“If I had just let it be on its own, it would have probably swam away again, and authorities were about like 10, 15 minutes away at the time,” Norwood said. “I had to get it at that point in time. I probably should have had shoes on, though.”

Norwood is a reptile enthusiast and an avid fossil collector.

“I got some crocodile teeth and all that stuff, but I don’t really have e

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