Kelby Perren

Kelby Perren rescued Amber Perren from an attacking alligator, Stuart, Florida, July 23, 2025. In the evening, Amber, 27, was sitting on her knees in a shallow area of the St. Lucie River when an 8.5-foot-long alligator approached in the murky water and bit and clamped onto her right arm and hand. Amber punched the alligator, which dragged her a short distance, and she splashed and screamed. On the nearby beach, her husband, Perren, 33, power generation engineer, saw Amber being pulled violently. He did not know what was attacking her but presumed it might be a shark. Perren ran to Amber, grasped her waist and pulled her, and felt something thrash against his leg and jerk Amber in the opposite direction. Perren forcefully pulled Amber again and the alligator released her. Perren and Amber retreated to the shore, where they evaluated her wounds, which included two broken bones in her forearm, then boarded their boat, which was on the beach nearby. Perren called 911 and drove to a dock at a park, where they met with first-responders. A medical helicopter flew Amber to a hospital, where she stayed for six days. She later regained motion in the arm but continued to experience numbness afterward as she continued to heal. A trapper set bait at the scene that night and reported to authorities a month later that he caught an alligator he suspected was the attacking animal. It was euthanized.

2025-0000317-10564