Surveillance Video Shows Teens' Alligator Theft Attempt Foiled

Channel 9 obtained surveillance video showing five college teens jumping a fence into a pond full of alligators in an attempt to steal one early Thursday morning. It was a bizarre but failed theft at a Daytona Beach Shores mini-golf course.

MUG SHOTS:Images Of All Five SuspectsSURVEILLANCE IMAGES:Images From Surveillance Video Show IncidentSURVEILLANCE VIDEO:Teens Caught Trying To Steal GatorsWEIRD:Read Today's News Of The Strange

The teens told police they hadn’t thought far enough ahead to decide what they would do with an alligator, assuming they were able to steal one from the Congo River Mini-Golf on A-1-A.

The suspects had thought enough to bring a stick, a palm frond and some tape, and were armed with tools when they jumped down into a pit filled with small alligators.

While the little alligators may not be big, they can still bite and they’re a popular attraction at Congo River, popular enough apparently for five local college students to want to take a few home.

"I think that's just a silly prank. It's kinda funny," tourist Janelle Reed said laughing. "Least nobody got hurt."

At 4:00am Thursday, a security camera was rolling when a few teenagers suddenly appeared in front of the alligator pond. With a few quick looks around, one of them jumped the fence and joined the gators. He got down on his stomach, started reaching into the water and appeared to be making a real effort to fish out one of the reptiles.

A few minutes went by and another teen hopped into the enclosure and a third tossed them a roll of tape. Meanwhile, a couple of their friends mingled around the outside of the cage acting as lookouts.

"If you're still in school, you can't bring it to school. I don't know, doesn't make sense," said tourist Daryn Fanney.

Before they could catch any gators to take home, though, a public safety officer driving by noticed the students standing around and, when he did, they went running. Eventually police caught up to all five, put them in handcuffs and charged them with felonies, illegally possessing or capturing alligators.

All five men are teenagers and freshmen students at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach. Jesse Ramos, 18, George Grampp, 18, Craig Devries, 19, Eric Tatki, 19 and Thomas Shaughnessy, also 19, were jailed on a felony charge of attempting to capture an alligator and bonded out of jail Thursday afternoon.