r.i.p.

4-Foot-Long Alligator Found Dead in New Jersey Park

Whacked? Photo: NBC

That an early-bird jogger in South Newark might find a dead body in a park is not, in itself, terribly surprising. On Tuesday, the twist was that the lifeless creature was an alligator.

The jogger spotted the four-foot-long reptile in Weequahic Park around 7 a.m. and alerted authorities, who later came to remove the body, nj.com reports.

We have never had a similar experience or a report of a gator sighting in any of our county park’s waterways,” Essex County sheriff Armando Fontoura said in a statement. Officials believe the animal may have been a pet, and may have been dead before it arrived at the park.

4-Foot Alligator Found Dead in New Jersey Park