Florida man charged with tossing live alligator into Wendy’s drive-thru

Judge orders defendant to stay away from animals — ‘including reptiles’

Investigators say Joshua James admitted throwing this alligator through the window of a Wendy's restaurant in Loxahatchee, Fla. The man's parents say he did it as a prank. (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission via AP)
Investigators say Joshua James admitted throwing this alligator through the window of a Wendy's restaurant in Loxahatchee, Fla. The man's parents say he did it as a prank. (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission via AP)

Gators are serious business in the Sunshine State, as a Florida circuit court judge reminded everyone Tuesday.

Joshua James, 24, made his initial appearance before Judge Joseph Marx one day after being arrested for tossing a live alligator through the drive-thru window of a Wendy’s restaurant.

The judge, according to local reports, set James’ bail at $6,000 and ordered him, among other things, to stay clear of Wendy’s restaurants and animals.

“Including reptiles,” added Marx, who has two degrees from the University of Florida, home of the Gators.

The bizarre incident occurred Oct. 11, when James found the 3-and-a half-foot alligator on the side of the road and led the reptile into his truck, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission incident report.

Then James, a resident of Jupiter, a town 20 miles north of Palm Beach, drove to a Wendy's restaurant in Royal Palm Beach and placed an order, received a drink at the drive-thru window, and hurled the alligator through the opening, investigators said.

Joshua James, 24, faces up to five years in prison in convicted on an assault charge for throwing a live alligator through a Wendy's drive-thru window. (Palm Beach County Jail via WPTV-TV)
Joshua James, 24, faces up to five years in prison in convicted on an assault charge for throwing a live alligator through a Wendy's drive-thru window. (Palm Beach County Jail via WPTV-TV)

No one was hurt during the incident. A game warden called to the scene found the gator in the kitchen and taped its mouth shut before releasing it back into the wild.

Florida Fish and Wildlife used surveillance video and also traced a bankcard receipt to James that was used to buy the drink to identify James. According to the police report, the suspect confessed to investigators in December.

Ed and Linda James, the man’s parents, told WPTV-TV that their son knew someone who worked at that Wendy’s location and was trying to play a joke.

“It was just a stupid prank that he did that’s now turning into this,” said mother Linda James. “He's a prankster. He does stuff like this because he thinks it's funny.”

Now James faces a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and misdemeanor counts of taking of an alligator and theft. The felony is punishable by up to five years in prison if he is convicted.

Jason Sickles is a national reporter for Yahoo News. Follow him on Twitter (@jasonsickles).