a disturbing story in st. Johns County
caught on surveillance video man breaks
into the st. Augustine Alligator Farm
after hours and is caught on video
jumping into a crocodile exhibit he
stayed there for hours and police pieced
it all together this morning when a
woman called 911 man walking around in
his boxers in a neighborhood near the
alligator farm and when they found him
he told them he'd been bitten by a wild
crocodile about ten minutes ago we
received this mug shot of the man
Brandon Hatfield from a prior arrest in
September just last Friday he pleaded
guilty to car theft and drug possession
and was sentenced to probation now to
give you an idea of what the crocodile
pit looks like these are photos inside
there are three crocodiles in the
exhibit all of them are at least 12 feet
long News 4 Jax reporter who's a clash
way has been speaking with a manager at
the alligator farm and joins us live
from st. Johns County Zach how badly was
he hurt any word how he's doing now Mary
tonight Hatfield is said to be in a
stable condition now as for how this all
happened that still remains a mystery
park officials believe he's killed
several barriers including a barbed wire
fence to get into the park watch the sea
he'll get onto the shore this
surveillance video tells of a
jaw-dropping story police have yet to
identify this man but tonight he's lucky
to be alive after breaking into the st.
Augustine Alligator Farm and jumping
into the Oasis on the nile crocodile
exhibit those commit Crocs is gonna come
right behind him that's those you'll see
it's glowing eyes and when one dip is it
enough jumps off into the tree this is
when he comes into contact with one of
the three 12-foot crocodiles and watch
for behind him
a Crockett app to try to attack him like
I saw that that croc will flip them a
little death roll in a moment right
there what he does he tries to kick it
with his foot the croc thrashes him
around for a bit then lets him go but
still the man comes back for another
round black shadows the rock no huh
alright Bellomo poor feeble on my feet
and falls into a tree huh he's bleeding
pretty good finally the man appears to
have had enough but doesn't just walk
away
instead travels this fence as if it's a
balance beam he couldn't easily step
down as I showed you guys out there on
that way doesn't realize it this is that
fence the man scooted across this right
here his blood 12 feet below more than
200 alligators the parks management is
stunned it's a bizarre story and 125
years we've never had somebody try to go
swimming with our crocodiles and we hope
it never happens again again within the
past 20 minutes police have identified
this man as Brandon Hatfield he was
transported to Flagler hospital where
he's being tried treated for lacerations
to his foot now ironically one of the
tips that connected the dots for police
a pair of croc shoes found in that
crocodile exhibit allegedly worn by
Hatfield in st. Augustine I'm Zach Lazar
a channel for the local station
Zach being that he trespassed
after-hours will he be charged
again Mary we are learning that he
hasn't just been charged with burglary
criminal mischief and violation of
probation now once he is treated and
medically discharged from the hospital
he will be transported to st. Johns
County Jail he was arrested in September
for car theft we're just learning that
it was also a drug possession related
and criminal mischief he just pleaded
guilty on Friday and was sentenced to
two years probation exactly a reporting
to us live from st. Augustine Thank You
Zach