Hero dad shares son's reaction after alligator bit off boy's hand in harrowing attack

A Pennsylvania father shared details of his son’s reaction after an alligator attack left the boy with part of his right hand severed. Peter Dituri told WESH that Brodie Dituri, 11, was bitten while fishing on June 27 in Marion County, Florida, during a family vacation. The father said the 8-foot-7 alligator clamped onto the boy’s hand as he released a fish back into the water, prompting Dituri to jump onto the animal and try to pry its jaws open while instructing someone to call 911. He added the reptile rolled, a maneuver used to drown prey, and that bystanders quickly rushed to help. Officers later told the father that climbing onto the gator prevented it from pulling Brodie into the water. The boy has since visited a doctor to discuss potential transplant or prosthetics, and Dituri said the family likely won’t return to Florida soon because Brodie is “definitely afraid of Florida.”