Fox news today is buzzing with a story that might be too good to be true: A viral video claims that a Florida man, using only a leaf blower and a trash can lid, successfully fended off a 400-pound alligator from his backyard swimming pool. The clip, shared widely on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), shows a man in cargo shorts sprinting across a lawn, spinning the lid like a shield before blasting the gator's face with the leaf blower. The reptile, stunned, retreats into a nearby canal. Many users are hailing it as the most "Florida Man" moment of the year, with some even calling for a federal holiday in his honor.

Fox news today is buzzing with a story that might be too good to be true: A viral video claims that a Florida man, using only a leaf blower and a trash can lid, successfully fended off a 400-pound alligator from his backyard swimming pool. The clip, shared widely on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), shows a man in cargo shorts sprinting across a lawn, spinning the lid like a shield before blasting the gator's face with the leaf blower. The reptile, stunned, retreats into a nearby canal. Many users are hailing it as the most "Florida Man" moment of the year, with some even calling for a federal holiday in his honor.

But here's the catch: Fact-checkers at Snopes and PolitiFact have now debunked the footage. The gator, named "Chompers," is a paid actor from a nearby reptile sanctuary, and the video was filmed on a closed set under controlled conditions. The man, identified as stunt performer "Gator Bait" Greg, confirmed he was never in real danger. So, while the clip is fake, it still ranks as one of the most entertaining hoaxes of 2025, with Fox News Today reporting that the story's virality has sparked a new reality show pitch on the network.