Police Describe TikTok Star ‘Karen the Alligator’ as ‘Unwilling Participant’ in Car Chase, Clarify She Was Not Driving

Photo courtesy of Lake County (Michigan) Sheriff’s Office.

Florida Man is (surprisingly) not at fault for this reptilian adventure that began with a car chase and ended with a “short scuffle” and both a Michigan Man and a TikTok-famous alligator named Karen being taken into custody.

A 40-year-old Oak Park, Michigan man was “driving at a high rate of speed” around 11 pm on June 11, according to Michigan Live. Deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office attempted to pull over the car, but the driver, whose name has not been released, fled.

After a brief car chase in which the vehicle was pursued by deputies with the LCSO and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the driver managed to get his car wedged between two trees on a “Rails-to-Trails” pathway (a recreational bicycle and running trail created by converted railroad lines that have fallen into disuse).

The LSCO posted an update about the incident on their Facebook page, reporting that the driver was immediately taken into custody after getting his car stuck. He was “facing several charges,” as well as several outstanding warrants from another jurisdiction.

The Facebook post also included this amusing description of the fate of the man’s alligator passenger, clarifying that she too attempted to flee but would escape criminal sanctions:

The passenger, “Karen” the Alligator, attempted to flee the scene, but was taken into custody after a short scuffle. Karen is not facing any charges at this time. We believe she was an unwilling participant during the incident, nor do we believe she was ever in control of the vehicle.

A short video showing LCSO deputies capturing “Karen” was included in the post. “Grab it behind its head, like, its neck, with two hands,” one deputy can be heard coaching another. Eventually, the gator was captured and its mouth secured with electrical tape.

Mediaite reached out to the LCSO for comment and spoke to Sheriff Rich Martin, who said that the alligator recovered in this incident was the same “Karen the Alligator” who has a TikTok following of over 80,000.

“Apparently the alligator, in its own right, she’s famous,” said Martin. “She has her own TikTok page.”

The sheriff confirmed that the driver did seem to be Karen’s owner. On the “@adayinthelifeofkaren_” TikTok page, multiple posts show a man feeding a small alligator in a plastic turtle-shaped pool or driving around with Karen in his car, much to the shock and amusement of other people. Karen is often seen wearing various bejeweled collars.

@adayinthelifeofkaren_ #orkinman #fyp #petsoftiktok #unlikelyanimalfriends #wtf ♬ original sound – karenthealligator

Martin said that after the man was arrested and Karen was captured, the LCSO contacted Cicchelli Second Chance Rescue and Exotics, an animal sanctuary in Lake City, Michigan. The rescue group posted their own Facebook update, commenting that they were “glad” they were able to assist local law enforcement in keeping animals like Karen safe.

Sanctuary owner April Cicchelli told local CBS affiliate 9&10 News that they had assisted with “about a dozen law enforcement calls, mainly reptiles,” and will make sure Karen receives proper care while her owner’s fate is determined.

It may be a while before he can be reunited with his reptilian buddy. According to Martin, the man is facing charges of driving with a suspended license, fleeing and eluding police, and failure to comply with police directions related to the traffic stop and car chase, and his outstanding warrants from an outside jurisdiction include a prior driving with a suspended license and a bench warrant related to failure to comply with a court judgment.

It does seem to be legal to own an alligator as a pet in Michigan, as state law only regulates animals that are native to Michigan. According to the Detroit Free Press and NBC 25 News, several local municipalities have enacted ordinances that restrict or outlaw having them in a home.

Escaped pet alligators — many of which were purchased on the internet by people with little-to-no prior reptile experience — have frequently wreaked havoc across Michigan.

“It’s going to grow up and bite you one day,” warned David Critchlow, owner of Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary, in response to several reported alligator escapes in 2019. Crichlow estimates there are “thousands” of alligators being kept as pets in Michigan. “It’s a pet I recommend you not get,” he emphasized.