A North Carolina bagel shop got an unexpected visitor last month when a three-foot alligator casually strolled in through the back door. Surveillance footage from Bagel Dock Express in Southport shows the young reptile making its way through the stockroom and kitchen before settling near the service counter.
Owner Jesse Driscoll, who had been installing a new oven, jumped back in shock when he spotted the uninvited guest. “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,” Driscoll told WWAY News.
After scrambling outside to process the encounter, Driscoll called 911. Southport Police and Animal Protective Services responded quickly, safely removing the native coastal species from the premises.
True to form for a small business owner, Driscoll turned the bizarre incident into a marketing opportunity. “Apparently, word of our fresh bagels has made its way into the swamp,” the shop joked on Facebook alongside the viral surveillance video.
The post concluded: “No injuries, no drama. Just one very unusual customer! Fresh bagels. Wild experiences.”
While alligator sightings aren’t unheard of in coastal North Carolina, this marks perhaps the first time one has gone bagel shopping. Southport sits about 60 miles northeast of Myrtle Beach in an area where such reptiles are native but rarely interact so directly with businesses.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/environment/2026/11/04/watch-young-alligator-strolls-into-north-carolina-bagel-shop/