Alligator hides out in Florida man's garage

May 4 (UPI) -- A Florida homeowner was in for a surprise when neighbors warned him there might be an alligator trapped inside his garage.

Residents of the Palmer Ranch neighborhood in Sarasota said a neighbor spotted the alligator in front of the homeowner's open garage on Wednesday afternoon and they later noticed the gator was gone and the garage had been closed.

Neighbors said they warned the man about the possibility that the alligator was hiding inside the garage, and he opened the door to discover that was indeed the case.

A neighbor named Erica filmed as Sarasota County sheriff's Deputy Robbie Martin captured the alligator.

The alligator, which neighbors said is missing a front foot and has been spotted in the neighborhood before, was released into a nearby pond.

Experts said alligator sightings are ramping up in Florida and elsewhere as the animals' mating season continues and the reptiles wander away from their usual homes in the search of mates.