Alligator found in attic of New Hanover County home under construction

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A shocking visitor showed up during a lunch break at a construction site earlier this week.

A New Hanover County code compliance official, Dean Brown, found something especially not up to code in the attic of a new home under construction off of Carolina Beach Road — an 8-foot alligator.

The gator was hanging out in the attic.

Brown said it was an unusual site to see an alligator there, and while he was taking the situation very seriously, he understands why some of his co-workers nearby initially didn’t.

“The workers having lunch sitting the next room — I asked them to leave,” Brown said. “They kind of laughed at me when I told them why, and I said, ‘Well, you might want to look, because there’s an alligator in the attic.'”

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission said alligators sort of hibernate during the winter, but they’ve been coming out earlier in the year because the weather has been unseasonably warm.

Officials said if you see an alligator, it’s important to leave them alone because their natural instinct is survival.

So, if bothered, they could turn aggressive. It is illegal to tamper with the animals.