A 71-year-old man died after being attacked by a nearly 12-foot alligator while fishing on the shoreline of a pond in central Florida on Friday.

Steven Hamilton of Winter Garden was standing at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park when the alligator struck around 5 p.m., according to the Winter Garden Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The park sits near Lake Apopka, roughly 15 miles northwest of Orlando.

The alligator dragged Hamilton into the water after the initial attack on the shore. Emergency responders faced complications from other active alligators in the area and recovered his body about two hours later.

FWC trappers later captured and killed an 11-foot-8-inch alligator at the scene. Authorities described the animal as a danger to the public and removed it accordingly.

Winter Garden Police Capt. Michael Mason said no prior reports of an alligator near the shoreline had reached dispatchers. He noted that Lake Apopka contains many alligators and issued a public warning.

"Always be aware of your surroundings, always be safe. Local wildlife, respect it, keep your distance," Mason said. "It looks like it's docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous."

Alligator attacks remain relatively rare in the state despite an estimated 1.3 million alligators statewide, according to the FWC. Between 1948 and 2025, the agency recorded 32 fatal attacks out of roughly 500 total incidents.

The incident marks the second fatal alligator attack in Florida this year. A 31-year-old woman died in June after an attack while swimming near Orlando.