Norman, Oklahoma – Sheriff’s deputies waded into a dark creek and grabbed an escaped caiman by hand, ending a search for the reptile that had been on the loose in central Oklahoma since August.

Body camera footage released by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office shows deputies shining flashlights into muddy water before lunging at the caiman and pulling it out as they shout, “Here we go, here we go!” and cheer, “Oh my God! Yeah!” The deputy then holds the reptile up in the night.

“The alligator has been apprehended,” the sheriff’s office joked, crediting Deputy McKinney with the capture. The Adam Night Shift crew found the caiman on Tuesday night, October 20, in a creek behind homes after residents reported seeing it nearby.

The caiman, a member of the alligator family native to Central and South America, was first reported loose in August near Sunnylane Estates, close to South Sunnylane Road and East Indian Hills Road. It has been returned to its owner.

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