Alligators in the Sewers

This one does actually have a wee kernel of truth to it! In New York City on a snowy day in 1935 a group of teenagers were shoveling snow into a sewer manhole when they looked down and saw an alligator. They supposedly lassoed the creature and pulled it up. The story appeared in newspapers and a legend was born.

Via/ Flickr

The most likely scenario for the 1935 case was explained as an alligator hitching a ride on a boat from Florida.

However the urban legend has many more levels to it. The story goes that there is not one but many alligators roaming the sewers of any given city. The animals are said to end up there when pet owners tire of having an exotic animal. A common element is that baby alligators are flushed down the toilet only to survive and grow in the sewers. Another one we heard was sometimes they come back up through the pipes and bite people’s bottoms while they are using the loo!

Click “Next Page” for more of these spooky stories!
Subscribe to Dusty Old Thing