Alligator found on Mastic Beach front lawn

A quick-thinking Mastic Beach man who found an alligator crawling in his front yard Friday managed to get it into a plastic bin and hold it for Suffolk County police.

Police said the gator is about 2 1/2 feet long and weighs between 3 and 4 pounds.

Arriving officers taped the alligator's mouth closed to avoid any potential gator bites.

Police said the alligator was taken to a Petland store in Shirley but will eventually be moved to Jungle Bob's in Centereach. A police spokeswoman said the alligator appeared to be in good health.

It was not clear where the gator came from.

Police said the resident saw it crawling through a flower bed along a fence line on the house on Moriches Drive, got the plastic bin and corralled the gator. Then, he called 911.

The incident was reported at 10:11 a.m.