SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL — Brittany Clark, 31, of Orlando died Sunday after a large alligator attacked her while she waded in a shallow Florida river with her boyfriend and best friend, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed Tuesday.
Clark was hiking the Little Big Econ State Forest near the Barr Street Trailhead, east of Orlando, when the group stopped to cool off in the Econlockhatchee River around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Her death marks the third reported alligator attack in Central Florida within seven days and has prompted an active FWC investigation involving DNA analysis of two massive alligators captured at the scene. Wildlife officials have closed the Barr Street Trailhead and West Camp Primitive Sites until further notice, and the case has drawn attention to the risks of swimming in Florida’s freshwater bodies during alligator mating season.
Clark’s boyfriend, Chance Allison, placed the initial 911 call moments after the attack. FWC officials said Allison had been physically trying to pull Clark free from the alligator’s grip when he reached dispatchers. “Bad. Real bad. Please, hurry,” he told the 911 operator, according to recordings released Monday. “She’s losing a lot of blood. We need to stop the blood. Please hurry.” Clark’s best friend, Jayden Hernandez, also spoke with dispatchers, frantically pleading for help to reach their remote location off the main trail near a small river launch area. “Please hurry, that’s my best friend — please, please, please,” Hernandez said on the call, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “She needs help now.” Dispatchers worked to direct helicopters and ground crews toward the group, telling callers to flag down any aircraft they could see. Hernandez ultimately left Clark and Allison to run through the wooded area searching for first responders, guiding them in by following the sound of whistles and sirens.
FWC Lieutenant Grant Eller said the group had been wading in approximately three feet of water when the alligator struck. Eller noted that water levels at the site were lower than normal due to a statewide drought, which may have concentrated wildlife in fewer waterways. The group had reportedly noticed bubbles in the murky water shortly before the attack and even joked among themselves that an alligator might be nearby, according to a Facebook post later written by Hernandez. The 911 dispatcher, working to assess Clark’s injuries and help coordinate the response, asked whether the animal had returned. “No, it went away,” a caller responded. FWC officials confirmed that Clark’s boyfriend maintained hold of her after the alligator released her, and the two companions helped carry Clark to the riverbank to wait for paramedics. Seminole County Fire Department transported Clark to a hospital as a trauma alert. She died from her injuries before reaching the hospital. FWC Public Information Officer Chad Weber said at a Monday news conference, “On the way to the hospital, she did pass away from her injuries.”
Following the attack, FWC, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Division of Forestry and a contracted nuisance alligator trapper launched a multiagency response. Crews searched the river by boat and UTV for hours before locating two large alligators. A 13-foot alligator was captured and killed at the precise location of the attack. A 12.5-foot alligator was found and killed approximately a half-mile away. DNA samples from both animals were collected and sent to FWC’s laboratory in Gainesville for analysis to determine which, if either, was responsible for Clark’s death. Weber said the investigation remains active. FWC also noted this attack was part of a broader cluster: the previous day, a juvenile was bitten on the hand while fishing from shore at Nelson Fish Camp in Marion County, and an 8-foot-7-inch alligator linked to that incident was subsequently dispatched by FWC. The Barr Street Trailhead closure took effect June 29, 2026, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. In 2025, FWC recorded 13 unprovoked alligator attacks statewide, two of which were fatal.
Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida professor who studies human-alligator conflict, said fatal alligator attacks in Florida are relatively rare but noted that the current period — the tail end of alligator mating season — increases the likelihood of dangerous encounters. “It is currently the end of alligator mating season,” Mazzotti said, adding that higher temperatures and territorial behavior make alligators more active and more likely to interact with humans who enter their habitat. Weber echoed that assessment, telling reporters that low water levels and the close of mating season both likely played roles in elevating risk. “In the state of Florida, obviously, we have alligators in all 67 counties,” Weber said. “Every body of water could potentially have an alligator in it.” Several warning signs posted at the Barr Street Trailhead entrance alert visitors to the presence of alligators in the area. Hikers who regularly use the trail said they were aware of at least one large female alligator known to nest nearby. “There’s a place where a female gator hangs out to lay her eggs, and most people that come out here very often know that she could be there, and so keep your eyes open and don’t get in the water,” said Nancy Palmer, a hiker who visits the trailhead roughly every other week.
Those who knew Clark described her as someone who was no stranger to outdoor adventure. Allison, her boyfriend, said in a written statement to NBC News that Clark “was the strongest and most outgoing person I’ve ever met in my 30 years of life.” He said she loved her job operating a bulldozer on a dirt crew and cherished any opportunity to be on the water. “She loved going out on the water every chance she could,” Allison wrote. “Never in a million years would we have seen this nightmare come about.” Hernandez, who witnessed the attack, wrote on Facebook that Clark was “pure gold” and called her strength in the moments after the attack extraordinary. “Anybody else would not have even made it out,” Hernandez wrote. “She was so strong and I always looked up to her and will forever.” Clark’s brother told WESH 2 that his sister was a “beautiful person” who was no stranger to the water. Clark’s aunt, who set up a GoFundMe page that surpassed its $5,000 goal, described her as an “amazing person and a fun-loving soul.” The fundraiser was created to help transport Clark’s remains to her parents in California, where she is originally from.
FWC’s DNA analysis is expected to confirm which of the two captured alligators was responsible for the fatal attack, with results pending from the Gainesville laboratory. The agency’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program remains the primary mechanism for addressing dangerous alligators statewide; officials urge anyone with concerns about a threatening alligator to call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286. The Barr Street Trailhead and West Camp Primitive Sites will remain closed until FWC determines it is safe to reopen them.
