Aug 30, 2023 - Culture

The man who caught a record-breaking, 14-foot alligator is a part-time New Orleanian

Carlie Kollath Wells

Photo shows four men holding a massive alligator — Joseph Clark, far right, was one of four men who caught 14-foot gator in Mississippi. Photo: Courtesy of Joseph Clark

Driving the news: The guy who caught the massive alligator that's going viral was sitting two booths over from me during breakfast at Russell's Marina Grill.

State of play: I was enjoying my eggs Benedict and oysters when one of the servers started calling the other servers over to look at a gator photo on a customer's phone.

They were talking about the humungous 14-foot gator caught in Mississippi over the weekend that shattered the state record.

It gets better. The server told me the man was one of four who actually caught the gator. Of course, I had to introduce myself and find out more.

Joseph Clark lives in Jackson, Mississippi, but splits his time in New Orleans. He was having breakfast with a church friend while they incredulously watched the headlines roll in about the "Jurassic World" gator.
Clark says he also has a minority ownership stake in Saint-Germain on St. Claude.

Zoom in: Clark and his friends caught the gator in the Yazoo River in Mississippi after hunting it for hours. He shared the video above with me.

Worth noting: While gator is on the menu at Russell's, Clark went with eggs and pork sausage for breakfast.

Quick take: There's always a New Orleans connection, amiright?!

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The man who caught a record-breaking, 14-foot alligator is a part-time New Orleanian

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