TUSCOLA COUNTY, Mich. – A Detroit man shot an alligator while vacationing near Michigan's Thumb.

The man was at his vacation home Saturday just east of Saginaw when he stumbled upon an alligator. The 6-foot-long animal lunged at him.

The man was able to pull his pistol and fatally shoot it before calling 911.

The Tuscola County Sheriff's Office said the gator belonged to a neighbor who has an exotic animal rescue at his home. It had escaped the home.

"“The person that has the pets, they need to take a little more responsibility and think about the community. This is a hiking place, people ride their ATV’s through here, people walk in the mornings,” Davis told NBC 25.