Dad's tragic last call as daughter Brittany Clark bled out from alligator mauling in Florida

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Heartbroken dad reveals tragic last call as daughter Brittany Clark bled out from horrific alligator mauling in Florida

By Alex Diaz Published July 1, 2026, 5:36 p.m. ET

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MIAMI – The grieving dad of a hiker horrifically mauled to death by an alligator in a Florida river revealed how he received a harrowing call from her roommate as his daughter bled out.

Construction worker Brittany Clark’s arms were ripped apart by the massive gator Sunday during a trip with her boyfriend Chance Allison and roommate Jayden Hernandez as they swam in the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest.

Allison desperately tried to wrench Clark from the 13-foot beast as it sunk its jaws into the 31-year-old, authorities said.

Brittany Clark in a red dress, leaning against a tree at a night outdoor venue. — Brittany Clark was killed in a horrific alligator attack. Facebook/Brittany Clark

Clark was rushed to the hospital but is believed to have died from the enormous amounts of blood she lost.

Her shellshocked dad, 57-year-old Robert told The Post: “I received a call on Sunday from Brittany’s roommate Jayden and she was explaining as it was happening. They were trying to keep her alive and waiting for the authorities to show up.”

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Jones, 31, was last seen on security camera holding hands with a man early Friday morning.

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Grieving dad blasts Florida officials for not addressing wildlife concerns after daughter fatally mauled by alligator: ‘Out of control’

An image collage containing 3 images, Image 1 shows Cory Rumell, Rio, Peta Murgatroyd, Shai, and Maksim Chmerkovskiy pose with a yellow, blue, and pink monster truck at Monster Jam, Image 2 shows A bedroom with a large white bed, two light grey armchairs, light wood herringbone flooring, and exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, Image 3 shows Peta Murgatroyd in a new home, wearing a peach hat and light blue sweater, with a large woven light fixture hanging above her

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A semi-retired motorcycle technician who previously served in the US Navy, Robert said the family was already reeling from the death of his mother Barbara, 80, on Thursday when he learned his daughter was gruesomely killed.

Hernandez previously said the trio had joked about there being an alligator in the shallow, 3 feet of “murky” water that they were all standing in before disaster struck.

Family photo of Brittany Clark, her sister Tiffany Clark, and their father Robert Clark. — Robert Clark (second from right), a semi-retired motorcycle technician who previously served in the Navy, called for wildlife authorities in Florida to do more to control alligator populations and alert people to the danger. Obtained by NY Post

“There were air bubbles within our little triangle we made with our bodies in the water and I commented on how it might be a sneaky gator and Chance, Brittany’s boyfriend, swam right over it to show nothing was there and nothing was there,” Hernandez wrote in a lengthy Facebook post early Wednesday morning.

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“Britt literally commented on how she thought he was gonna act like he got attacked and we just laughed because chance would never do that because he’s an amazing person and I know he is because she chose him and only one amazing strong soul chooses someone just as strong as it’s own. It was just a joke.

“And just a few minutes later my bestfriend got attacked.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Meet Melat Kiros, the Ethiopian-born anti-Israel socialist crusader who is DSA’s rising star after stunning upset in Colorado

Meet Melat Kiros, the Ethiopian-born anti-Israel socialist crusader who is DSA's rising star after stunning upset in Colorado

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Meet Melat Kiros, the Ethiopian-born anti-Israel socialist crusader who is DSA’s rising star after stunning upset in Colorado

By Ryan King Published July 1, 2026, 2:06 p.m. ET

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WASHINGTON — Democratic socialism is spreading West.

Political newcomer Melat Kiros, 29, who took down 15-term Democratic incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Col.) in a stunning primary upset Tuesday, is riding a wave of anti-Israel and anti-ICE sentiment sweeping her party.

The Ethiopian-born PhD student has pushed to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), suggested that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks were “inevitable,” downplayed suggestions that a firebombing of a Jewish rally was an act of antisemitism, and more.

Once in the House of Representatives, which is considered likely because she’s in a safe blue district, Kiros has vowed to push Democrats as far left as possible and to oppose Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) becoming speaker.

Political awakening

Kiros refined many of her far-left views in law school at Notre Dame in the early 2020s, a period she describes as her political awakening, as the country was roiled by the COVID-19 pandemic and peak wokeness.

“I literally watched the Federalist Society handpicking some of my classmates onto the judge track in their decades-long bid to pack the courts,” she complained, according to Vox. “…I just lost faith in the system; I think a lot of young people did.”

Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros smiles at her primary election night watch party. — The democratic socialist has been a staunch critic of capitalism, Israel, and ICE. AP Photo/Rebecca Slezak

After law school in 2022, she joined the law firm Sidley Austin in New York, where she worked as a regulatory and enforcement associate. The following year, she was fired for writing a viral open letter lambasting law firms for pushing to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.

“By chilling future lawyers’ employment prospects for criticism of the Israeli government’s actions and its legitimacy, you are complicit in Israel’s weaponization of anti-Semitism against legitimate concerns for the right of self-determination and the livelihood of the Palestinian people,” she wrote in the missive.

Sidley Austin demanded she take the letter down, but Kiros claims she refused and was fired as a result.

“I didn’t flinch because I stood by every word and I always will,” she boasted during her victory speech Tuesday.

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That move drew headlines and boosted her name recognition in lefty circles.

After losing her law gig, Kiros moved back to Colorado, where her family had immigrated while she was just 11-months-old. Her father had been picked in America’s Diversity Visa Lottery, per her campaign website.

Back home, she enrolled in a PhD program in public policy and worked as a barista.

Then, in the middle of last year, she decided to launch a seemingly long-shot primary challenge against DeGette, who is widely considered to be a very progressive lawmaker and has served in Congress longer than Kiros has been alive.

DeGette had the backing of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Diana DeGette speaking into a pink microphone at a League of Women Voters forum. — Rep. Diana DeGette was one of the more progressive members of the House Democratic Caucus. Denver Post via Getty Images

But Kiros’ candidacy caught fire with the DSA and other lefty groups that were hunting for candidates to take on incumbent Democrats and push the party further leftwards.

One of the major differences between the two was Kiros’ tougher stance against Israel. DeGette faced grassroots pushback for supporting defensive aid to Israel.

Kiros, however, made tough talk against the Jewish state a feature of her campaign.

For example, she told notorious lefty streamer Hasan Piker that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack was an “inevitable consequence of apartheid,” though she later clarified she wasn’t trying to say it was justified.

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Piker is a very controversial streamer, having declared that “America deserved 9/11″ and praised the “brave mujahideen” who injured Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas).

In a similar vein, she told 9News journalist Kyle Clark that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were an “inevitable consequence” of US foreign policy.

Kiros has stirred local controversy for downplaying the role of antisemitism in the June 1, 2025, firebombing attack at a weekly Jewish gathering aimed at bringing attention to the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. One person was killed and a dozen were injured in that attack.

Melat Kiros speaking to supporters at an election-night watch party. — Melat Kiros has indicated she won’t support Hakeem Jeffries for speaker. Getty Images

The attacker, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, screamed “Free Palestine” before later stating that he “wanted to kill all Zionist people,” according to the FBI.

Kiros repeatedly declined to call it antisemitism and told NOTUS that it wasn’t “entirely obvious that it was just motivated by antisemitism.”

Many of her positions are similar to those of other DSA members, including support for Medicare for All, a modified Green New Deal, and mass amnesty. Kiros also wants a 10% slash in Pentagon spending.

“People are seeing that capitalism is responsible for a lot of the degradation that we’re seeing in our economy, that we’re seeing in our democracy, that we’re certainly seeing in our climate as well,” she claimed in a recent interview.

“They’re demanding a new way to organize our economy.”

Should she win in November, she will be the first Gen. Z woman to serve in Congress and the second Zoomer overall, after Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.)

She is riding a socialist revolt within the Democratic Party, as far-left candidates have won primaries across New York, Maine, Illinois, and elsewhere heading into the midterms.

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