Jonathan Bruney has spoken out about fighting off an alligator that attacked him during a triathlon training swim.
Bruney, 31, a triathlon coach, was swimming in the Savannah River in Augusta, Georgia, with several other athletes during a race rehearsal on Sunday when the 4 to 5-foot gator clamped onto his right arm. He initially thought he had crashed into a log before feeling what he described as a “cold pain” shooting through his side, he told WRDW.
“I immediately thought, ‘I need to get this off of me’ because I didn’t want him to spin or death roll and do even more damage,” Bruney said.
Panicked, he grabbed the alligator by the head, shoved his thumb into its eye and wrestled himself free from the reptile’s jaws.
“I just knew the eyes were what you should target,” he said. “I put my hand on the snout, reached up and pushed my thumb into his eyeball. And he released.”
Bruney’s quick thinking during the harrowing encounter likely prevented more severe injuries, as alligator death rolls can cause catastrophic tissue damage and limb loss. The attack came during what was supposed to be a routine training session for an upcoming competition.
The Savannah River, which forms part of the border between Georgia and South Carolina, is known habitat for American alligators, particularly in slower-moving sections and marshy areas. Wildlife officials regularly warn that alligators can be present in any freshwater body in the region.
Bruney’s fellow athletes were swimming nearby when the attack occurred, though details about whether they witnessed the struggle or came to his aid have not been reported. The incident disrupted what had been planned as a group rehearsal for a race.
In the viral moment that has since drawn widespread attention, Bruney described the split-second decision-making that saved him from potentially life-threatening injuries. His method of targeting the alligator’s eye — a technique sometimes recommended by wildlife experts when escape is impossible — proved effective against the juvenile reptile estimated at roughly 4 to 5 feet in length.
The coach’s survival story has resonated across social media and news coverage, highlighting the unpredictable dangers that can emerge even during structured athletic training in natural waterways. American alligator attacks on humans remain relatively rare, though they do occur with some frequency in the southeastern United States where human populations increasingly overlap with alligator habitat.
Bruney did not indicate whether he sought medical treatment following the attack or if he suffered lasting injuries from the bite. His focus in recounting the event remained on the immediate struggle and the instinctual response that allowed him to escape.
The upcoming race for which Bruney and his group were training has not been publicly identified, and it remains unclear whether the attack will affect his participation or coaching schedule.