Alligator Wanders Into North Carolina Bagel Shop, Startles Employee

Jesse Driscoll wasn't expecting a reptile to crash his morning routine.

It was Thursday. The Bagel Dock Express in North Carolina had closed for business. Driscoll was inside, focused on installing a new oven. He stepped out to check the entrance door, glancing at the street. What he didn't see was the 3-foot alligator already inside.

The gator had wandered in without a care in the world. It strutted through the kitchen, unbothered by its surroundings. It settled near the display fridges in the empty dining area, waiting.

Driscoll turned around. He walked back into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks.

The shop owner jumped back. He screamed. Pure fright. He grabbed his colleague to show off their new, scaly guest.

The footage captured the moment perfectly. The gator looked clueless. It didn't know where it was going. It just stood there, a tiny bandit in a bagel shop.

Driscoll posted the video online. He added a caption that hit the mark. "Apparently, word of our fresh bagels has made its way into the swamp!"

Southport Police Department and Animal Protective Services took the call. They arrived after a 911 report. The team safely captured the animal. They relocated it to a safer spot.

"It's just so far out of the ordinary for a bagel shop," Driscoll told WWAY News. He admitted the shock was real. "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."

Southport seems to have a pattern here. It isn't the first time a gator has crashed the party. Earlier this year, residents found a 12-foot alligator on a woman's doorstep. Then, an 8-foot alligator showed up at a bank drive-thru.

Nature has a sense of humor. And it clearly likes bagels.