Snap Judgment Podcast: "Florida Alligator Man - Tooth & Claw"

Air Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Glynn Washington
Storyteller: Eric Murda

Episode Overview

This riveting episode of Snap Judgment’s "Tooth & Claw" series explores the primal, dangerous relationship humans have with nature through the harrowing, true story of Eric Murda. After a string of personal losses, Eric finds himself lost and vulnerable in the Florida wilderness. When his path crosses that of an alligator, a life-and-death struggle ensues, ultimately transforming Eric physically and spiritually. The episode not only documents his survival but delves into the emotional and existential journey that follows.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Precipice: Eric’s State of Mind and Backstory

• Eric, struggling emotionally after losing his job, wife, and contact with his kids, had been living out of a van and spending nights on Florida beaches.
• Collecting trash around the beach and nearby woods became his therapy, a way to distract from overwhelming pain and loss.
• “For the first time in my life, I was completely alone. Definitely at a low point in my life.” (05:53)

2. Into the Woods: Seeking Escape

• On July 17, after a string of small good fortunes (winning $50 on a found lottery ticket), he impulsively plunges deep into the woods, seeking a kind of escape from his internal turmoil.
• Wounded and exhausted, Eric emerges at the edge of a lake, sees his van across the water, and decides to swim — an action filled with both desperation and hope.

3. The Alligator Encounter

• Feeling relief at first in the water, Eric suddenly senses danger after spotting star patterns that remind him of an alligator (21:15)
• As he floats, an alligator appears just a foot and a half away. After Eric tries to escape, the alligator attacks, clamping onto his right forearm.
  • “The speed of the alligator was unbelievable. It struck like a snake.” (18:51)
• A desperate struggle ensues:
  • Eric tries to prevent the ‘death roll’ by holding the gator.
  • He’s pulled underwater repeatedly, each time fearing he’ll drown.
  • “It felt like I was coming up and down like a thousand times. I would swear that I died a thousand times. And it was like God was like, no, you’re not dying yet. Try this again.” (20:05)
• Ultimately, the gator death-rolls, ripping off Eric’s arm below the elbow. In shock, he manages to swim back to shore, driven by pure adrenaline and terror.
  • “I cannot believe I lost an entire arm. I cannot believe this.” (21:43)

4. Alone and Wounded in the Wild

• Throughout the night and into the next day, Eric is tormented by despair but also by a stubborn will to live.
• He attempts to signal a helicopter (25:33), but it doesn’t see him, forcing Eric to realize, “Ain’t nobody getting me out of this. I gotta do this myself.” (25:49)
• Bloodied and exhausted, Eric chooses to walk along the water’s edge rather than back through the woods to avoid further harming his wound.

5. The Stalker Returns: A Second Encounter

• As he inches along the shoreline, the alligator resurfaces and appears to stalk him, heightening the fear and urgency of escape (27:10)
• “I believe this alligator is stalking me. At this point, maybe it figured I was no longer easy prey.” (28:29)

6. The Will to Survive: Following Signs

• Eric survives another day and night by sleeping on a concrete block in the lake, following the sun and power lines for orientation through the endless swamp and thorns (35:09)
• Despite exhaustion and agony, small details—a discarded beer bottle within the thicket—reignite his hope, signaling that he must be near a road (38:55)
  • “When I seen the beer bottle, I knew I had to be close to a fence.” (39:38)

7. Escape and Rescue

• Upon seeing a man near the road, Eric pushes himself through the last dense brush, screaming for help.
• His first words: “Dude, I lost my arm to an alligator.” (41:26)
• The man calls an ambulance. Eric, delirious but alive, finds grim humor in his naked, one-armed state.

8. Hospital and Healing

• Eric undergoes further amputation due to infection (43:55)
• Reunited with his kids, Eric tries to return to his playful self, adapting to his new reality:
  • “When I finally got to see my kids... I tried to play some jokes with my nub on them.” (43:55)
• On adapting and moving forward: “I pretty much came out in the same place that I went into the woods. It definitely felt full circle to come out in that spot.” (44:10)

9. Humor Amid Horror: Gator Bites

• In hospital, Eric requests “gator bites,” fried alligator tail, joking with a friend—“I’m really not mad at the alligator, man…But I’m in the hospital with no arm from an alligator. I gotta have some gator bites.” (44:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Reflection on Humanity and Predators:
  • Host Glynn Washington:
    “We tell that story like we’re the frog…But I keep thinking that we’re the ones who walk into the forest with the sharp sticks…So maybe we’re not the frog.” (02:39)
• Nature’s Communion:
  • Eric: “As I gazed into the alligator’s eye, the one eye I saw, it was yellow. I knew this was a dinosaur next to me.” (17:32)
• On Choosing Life:
  • “When you give yourself a good enough reason to give up, then go ahead and lay there. But until then, you might as well go ahead and try.” (25:33)
• Spiritual Rebirth:
  • “I consider me getting dunked underwater like a baptism by nature out there. Holy or unholy, whichever way you may look at it.” (44:06)
• Gallows Humor in Recovery:
  • “He asked me what I wanted to eat, and I was like, I want some gator bites… But I’m in the hospital with no arm from an alligator. I gotta have some gator bites.” (44:55)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Reflection on Human-Nature Conflict: 01:04–04:58
• Eric's Backstory and Night on the Beach: 05:24–09:15
• Into the Woods & Lost: 10:00–12:38
• Decision to Swim, Alligator Attack: 13:45–22:00
• Post-Attack, Surviving Night in Swamp: 22:31–25:00
• Second Day, Helicopter Misses Rescue: 25:01–27:00
• Second Alligator Encounter: 27:10–29:00
• Survival Along the Lake & Hopeful Signs: 34:54–41:00
• Rescue & Aftermath: 41:26–45:45
• Final Reflections, Humor, and Recovery: 44:55–46:17

Episode Takeaways

• Eric’s survival was as much mental as physical—a testament to human endurance and the life-saving potential of hope, memory, and even humor.
• Through powerful personal storytelling, the episode interrogates the boundary between human and animal, the randomness and violence of nature, and the deep, unexpected lessons that emerge from tragedy.
• The story ends on notes of transformation and reconciliation—Eric finding a new role as a motivational speaker and reconnecting with family.

For more information or to connect with Eric Murda, visit snapjudgment.org.

Original score by Nick Marks. Edited by Anna Sussman. Produced by Bo Walsh.