"He was just going to school and saw this guy and said, 'Oh! dad, there's a big alligator,'" Patel told KPRC-TV.
Patel contacted the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, which called in the Gator Squad trapping service.
"Gator Girl" Christy Kroboth responded to the scene, dragged the gator into the front yard, and taped the reptile's mouth shut with the help of two sheriff's deputies.
Kroboth then placed a blanket over the gator's eyes to keep it calm.
"I was surprised Kroboth was by herself," Patel said. "And she came in and she knew exactly what she was doing, so... she did an excellent job of just capturing it real quick and getting it out of here."
Kroboth said the alligator will go to a farm in El Campo.
"So this neighborhood, as we pulled in, she should have been over there. What probably happened was she was wandering around at night looking for food," Kroboth said. "She's cold blooded. So the cement holds a lot of warmth. So the sun probably came up too fast and she got scared and went to hide. She picked the wrong hiding place, the garage."
Kroboth and the homeowner were praised on the Gator Squad's Facebook page.
"Gator Girl strikes again. Good job Christy Kroboth. Folks stay away from wildlife. If you see a gator out of water in a yard or road, keep your distance and call Gator Squad!" the post said.
