Gordon White

Tales of reptiles in the sewers have long been part of New York City lore, though they have been largely discounted as urban legend.

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Joyce Hackett

A baby alligator under a car caused a commotion in Queens.

But here is the true story of a two-foot-long creature that Joyce Hackett came across in Queens on Sunday afternoon. She was on her way to a store that sells salvaged building materials when she missed her turn for Astoria Boulevard. So she turned around. She pulled up to the intersection of Newtown Avenue and 29th Street when she noticed a police officer and a small crowd of people clustered around a blue car.