KINFAY MOROTI, and MELANIE PAYNE

The News-Press

Would you tussle with an alligator over a iPhone? A Cape Coral couple did just that. And they won.

Laciey D’Agostino, 21, and Anthony Larrimore, 24, are nature lovers. On a late Saturday afternoon stroll along the boardwalk at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve in Fort Myers the young couple spotted an alligator.

Larrimore, using D’Agostino’s cell phone, began taking pictures of the alligator. But when he tried to use the Facebook live application to share the experience with his 500-plus Facebook friends, he dropped the iPhone. It ricocheted off the boardwalk and landed in the water next to the gator.

Larrimore could see the teal blue phone but couldn’t reach it. Using a stick, he tried to push the phone onto dry land. But as the phone moved, the alligator followed.

D'Agostino said it occurred to her to just give up on getting the phone back But the couple's 10-month-old son's life was documented by the photos on that phone. " I just kept thinking about the pictures on there and I couldn't leave without it," D'Agostino said.

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As Larrimore attempted to retrieve the phone, a crowd gathered. Some offered tips. Others tried to distract the alligator so Larrimore could grab the phone while the beast's attention was diverted.This alligator, however, was not to be deterred. To show Larrimore just how much he wanted the phone, the gator moved over it, putting it directly under his snout.

"He made this crazy, hissing-slash-grunting sound," D'Agastino said. Both she and Larrimore are Florida natives, yet, "I didn't even know gators could make that noise," she said.

Observers advised Larrimore to forget about the phone. But the thought of losing photos of Nolan kept the couple at the task for more than an hour.

"I think (the alligator) was just being aggressive," D'Agastino said. "It seemed like he wanted to get a bite out of my boyfriend's arm. He was trying to lure him in, to put his arm at the right angle."

Larrimore finally got the phone within reach. That's when the gator made one more lurch at the phone, making what looked like an attempt to bite it. Then he turned and slowly slid away.

"I'm going to try and grab it," Larrimore said. ."Watch the gator."

Larrimore took off his glasses and laid face down on the boardwalk. Extending his arm toward the muddy bank, his fingers grasped the iPhone and he quickly scooped it up.

"But it does not turn on," a smiling and much-relieved Larrimore said. "Go figure."

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