'King of the neighborhood:' Watch as massive alligator crosses road in North Carolina town

A North Carolina man captured incredible video footage of a massive alligator sauntering across a road in a town on the coast.

The footage captured by Jonathan Findley on Sunday shows the huge animal crossing the road and walking toward trees in Surf City, about 30 miles northeast of Wilmington.

“Holy mother, that is a 7-foot gator? Good golly, that is the king of the jungle right here,” Findley can be heard saying in the video. “Or at the very least the king of the neighborhood, you get me?”

It is not immediately clear where the reptile went or if any other residents saw it. The Surf City Police Department told USA TODAY on Wednesday that it has not gotten any recent alligator complaints.

Alligators are common in North Carolina

American alligators occur naturally in North Carolina, according to North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and can be found inhabiting bay lakes, rivers, creeks, marshes, swamps and ponds. The state is the "northern extent of the alligator's range and they generally become less common as you move from south to north along the NC coast," says the wildlife commission. Surf City is located on Topsail Island along the Atlantic shore.

Feeding, touching, harming, harassing or poaching an alligator is illegal in North Carolina, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. The department recommends being vigilant in areas where alligators have been spotted and maintaining a safe distance of at least 50 feet in case of an encounter.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.