Jay Mandelker of Toronto never imagined his Florida winter holiday would place him at the centre of a rare but horrifying alligator attack that killed his 85-year-old neighbour last Monday. Mandelker is the head of the homeowner’s association in the Spanish Lakes Fairways 55+ retirement community in Fort Pierce, where the victim, Gloria Serge, was pulled into the pond by the 10-foot-long alligator.
Video of the attack shows the gator initially rushing out of the water to eat the victim’s small Shih Tzu dog—who survived. After coming ashore, the 500-pound reptile sunk its teeth into the startled senior’s foot and began dragging her into the water, while a neighbour tried unsuccessfully to rescue her and wound up calling 9-1-1.
The story, and Mandelker, have been all over the news. He’s since been liaising with local police and Florida wildlife officials, and even held a memorial at a meeting for hundreds of traumatized snowbirds, including several Canadians. He now joins The CJN Daily to explain why golfers and walkers need to be more careful in Florida and what his community has learned from the tragedy.
What we talked about:.
- Watch the TV news coverage of the alligator attack from WPTV
- Jay Mandelker, a travel agent and longtime snowbird in Florida, gives advice on travel after the Canada/U.S. border reopened in January 2022, on The CJN Daily.
- Learn more about Jay Mandelker at YYZ Travel
Credits:
The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.
