Florida girl hides in tree to escape stalking alligator

July 2 (UPI) -- A Florida girl climbed up a tree to escape an alligator as her mother frantically called 911 for help.

The incident occurred on Friday at a camping area north of Orlando, Fla. when 15-year-old Jordan Broderick was floating on a raft in the Ocala National Forest and spotted an alligator coming towards her, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Broderick grabbed a branch hanging over the water and used it to climb up a tree to flee the alligator. But the alligator waited patiently at the foot of the tree.

Broderick's parents witnessed the alligator stalking their daughter and called 911 for help.

"My daughter's stuck in a frickin' tree and there's gators surrounding her," the mom told the 911 operator. "We can't get her out."

It took about 30 minutes for police to arrive. And when they did, Ocala County Deputy Mitch Blackmon arrived with an AR-15 rifle and fired one shot into the alligator, killing it.