Robot camera finds 5-foot alligator in underground pipe

The crew was surprised when their robotic camera came lens-to-face with a 5-foot alligator

FLORIDA (Web Desk) - A crew investigating pot holes in a Florida road sent a robotic camera into an underground pipe where it encountered a 5-foot alligator.

The city of Oviedo said in a Facebook post that a storm water crew was investigating a series of potholes that appeared on Lockwood Boulevard, near Riverside, when they sent a four-wheeled robotic camera into an underground pipe to look for anomalies such as leaks, cracks or defects.

The crew was surprised when their robotic camera came lens-to-face with a 5-foot alligator.

"At first, they thought it was a toad and in the video, you see two little glowing eyes until you get closer -- but when it turned around, they saw the long tail of the alligator and followed it through the pipes," the post said.

The city said the alligator wandered off after the camera got stuck on a small indentation about 340 feet into the pipe.

"Just another reason not to go wandering down into the storm water pipes! Thank goodness our crews have a robot," the post said.