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‘Tail was bouncing against the door’: Family finds nearly 8-foot alligator on front porch

FL: GATOR SHOWS UP AT FRONT DOOR IN PALM BAY

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    PALM BAY, Florida (WESH) — A Palm Bay family woke up to an unexpected guest at their front door: a nearly 8-foot alligator that did not want to leave.

“I thought at one point he was gonna come through the window,” Sierra Wynn said. “His tail was bouncing against the door and against the house. It was such a deep, guttural hiss and growl. He just looked so mean. I thought he was gonna come through the window.”

Palm Bay police and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the home off Malabar Road.

“We were scared. Terrified,” Wynn said. “At one point, when he was getting kind of agitated with the flashlight in his eyes, he actually looked right up at me. He started opening his mouth and growling and hissing.”

Wynn said she’s thankful they got an alert from their security camera because she’s not sure what would have happened if they hadn’t.

“If we didn’t have the cameras and the features where we get notifications that there’s an animal in the yard, who knows what would have happened,” Wynn said. “If I had opened the garage to let the dog out, or if I had opened the front door, I wouldn’t have known.”

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Woman, 5-month-old baby die after vessel overturns in New York Harbor

A woman and a 5-month-old baby died after a vessel overturned in New York Harbor on Saturday night, according to police. Authorities are investigating whether the vessel was an illegal charter, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Sunday.The New York Police Department said it was called to an overturned vessel near Liberty Island at 10:55 p.m. on Saturday. The authority deployed a harbor unit, as well as a scuba and aviation team to the scene, where 12 individuals had been rescued from the water before their arrival.However, the 27-year-old woman and the 5-month-old baby girl were located and transported to NYU Langone Hospital, where they were declared deceased on arrival, according to authorities. It was not immediately clear whether they are related. The remaining survivors are reported to be in stable condition.  "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life last night, and our thoughts are with the victims' family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time," Captain Doreen McCarthy, the Coast Guard Sector New York Commander, said in a statement. "We are extremely grateful for the heroic, swift actions of our partner agencies and Good Samaritan vessel who assisted in rescuing survivors from the water."Police said it is investigating the cause of the deadly incident.The NYPD's Deputy Commissioner of Public Information confirmed to CBS News that Manuel Hernandez, 46, of New York, was arrested Sunday on 13 counts of reckless endangerment.An illegal charter is any passenger-for-hire vessel operation that lacks Coast Guard credentials, safety equipment and inspection certificates, the Coast Guard said.
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