Popularized in pop culture for decades, alligators thriving in the sewers of New York City have inspired references in hundreds of our favorite shows, and even spawned the creation of a prime B-movie.
But there may be more meat to this story than you thought.
With a camera on every phone, live evidence is backing up witnesses testimonies and old stories are surfacing that just might prove this urban legend is more threat than fiction.
As early as 1935, the New York Times ran a story about teenagers discovering an alligator in the NYC sewers. When rescue workers tried to pull the gator out it became understandably vicious and had to be slain.
Now stories are surfacing again.
In 2010 residents of Queens, New York spotted an 18-inch alligator crawling out of a storm drain. Public workers arrived and were able to lasso the gator and detain him alive. Unfortunately, questioning likely won’t reveal where he came from.
Regardless, it seems there’s more to this myth than meets the eye.
Manhattan now has its own holiday for sewer gators! On February 9th the city celebrates Alligators in the Sewers Day described as a time to honor discarded or escaped animals that have ‘grown large below our streets’.
Also, the official Manhattan Borough Historian puts some faith in the idea. He claims he ‘wants it to be true’.
So next time you visit the Big Apple be wary of storm drains and take care to educate yourself about major storm seasons before planning your next NYC getaway.
And if you’re already living in New York… watch your feet.