Kiski Township police said Butler County alligator apprehended Friday
The hunt for a missing alligator originally from Butler County may be over, as Kiski Township Police Department announced the scaly suspect was apprehended Friday, Feb. 9.
The department posted on Facebook that a small gator believed to be Neo, who escaped from his owner and was roaming the Kiski River in Armstrong County, was found Friday.
Neo escaped from owner Austin Randall, of Lyndora, on Aug. 29, while being transported to a friend’s home in Armstrong County.
In a September interview, Randall told the Butler Eagle he was taking Neo to stay with a friend of his in Kiskiminetas Township while he prepared to move.
Instead, the alligator escaped, prompting people to search for him along the Kiski River.
Randall was cited a month later by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission in connection to Neo’s escape.
According to the Kiski Township police’s Facebook post, Officer Pete “Gator” Forestieri, took Neo into custody Friday.
“We’d like to thank the community for their help and support,” the post read.
Neo will reside at Nate’s Reptile Rescue until his transport to Florida, police added.
The Kiski River was subject to several alligator sightings in 2023. Another alligator known as “Chomper” was spotted near the river in early August and eventually captured. Chomper was transferred to a reptile rescue facility in Pittsburgh.
On Saturday, Randall did not respond to requests for comment on Neo’s capture.
