SYDNEY — A crocodile named Michael Jackson has been shot dead in the Northern Territory after it ate a man in front of his wife.

The 57-year-old fisherman was snatched by the rare albino croc in the Adelaide River on Monday afternoon, as he entered the water to try and unsnag his fishing line. The man's wife ran to get help after witnessing the horrifying event.

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"He was there with his wife, and he was fishing on the water's edge," Northern Territory Police Superintendent Jo Foley told ABC News. "She left the scene because she saw this happen."

After a search by multiple boats, Michael Jackson was found in the water at 9:30 p.m. The 4.5-metre beast was shot by authorities and the man's body was recovered, the Associated Press reported.

The area is a common tourist attraction, where boat tours allow visitors to see crocodiles stalking the river. Rob Marchard, who runs Jumping Croc cruises near where the man was snatched, said the albino croc was a rare reptile.

"Michael Jackson was one in a million, and unfortunately being an albino would have been picked on by all the others, its a big pecking order," he said. "The croc has only been doing what nature intends it to do, and that's survive. They know how to do three major things: eat, reproduce and aggression. If you're not going to look after yourself, you'll find yourself being eaten."

It is the third confirmed crocodile attack in Australia this year. A 12-year-old boy died in January and a fisherman was snatched in June. Both attacks happened in Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory.