Austin Randall, of Lyndora, said he is continuing to search for his pet alligator, Neo. Austin Randall/Submitted Photo

A Butler County man is on the search for his pet alligator, which is one of possibly "two or more“ alligators in the Kiski River, according to Kiskiminetas Township police.

Austin Randall, of Lyndora, said Thursday, Sept. 7, that he’s continuing to search for his pet alligator, Neo, in Apollo.

Neo was first spotted swimming in the Kiski River on Sunday, Sept. 3, by people kayaking. Randall said he had planned for Neo to be fostered by a man named Dominic Hayward while he was in the process of moving. Hayward lives in Kiski Township, but Neo escaped when Randall was dropping him off at Hayward’s home.

Lee Bartolicious, chief of Kiskiminetas Township police, said they are aware of Neo’s escape and are working with animal control officers to capture him.

He added that Neo’s escape was never reported to his department.

He also said that there may be more than one alligator in the river, based on the sightings reported to the department.

“We have fielded several calls over the holiday weekend regarding sightings,” he said. “Based on sightings and the new information, we believe there could be two or more alligators on the loose now.”

He asked that the community continue to report sightings as soon as they occur.

“It is my Departments ultimate goal to locate, capture, and relocate these alligators. Furthermore, it is our secondary goal to locate and arrest the irresponsible owners who are intentionally releasing these alligators into the wild,” he said.

He asked the community to assist by reporting any sightings “immediately and without delay.”

“So that we can have the most accurate, timely information as possible,” he said.