An Ohio church outing nearly turned tragic when kids playing in a creek were almost attacked by a massive crocodile.
Yes, a crocodile. In Ohio.
Fortunately, an adult standing on the bridge over the Bantas Ford Creek saw the seven-and-a-half foot, 171 pound hungry predator rapidly closing in on the kids and warned them to get out of the water.
Thanks to the alert spotter, no one was hurt.
“I want to give Jesus all the glory for protecting these kids,” said Rich Denius, a church group leader.
A Ohio Department of Natural Resources wildlife officer captured and killed the crocodile, which authorities suspect was illegally kept as a pet and released into the creek.
“You know, you’re heading down for a normal creek-stomping adventure, and you pray for safety,” said Jim Hazelwood, a pastor with the church group, tells WLWT-5. “You think a kid might slip on a rock or cut his foot on some glass. You’re not thinking about crocodiles.”
It’s estimated around 1,000 people worldwide are killed by crocodiles each year.
