The DEC issued the following statement:
"DEC received the first report of an alligator sighting near Whitney Point in the Tioughnioga River on Saturday, July 22. At that time, DEC’s Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) were dispatched to investigate, but unable to confirm the sighting. There was a second reported sighting this morning in the same Whitney Point area. DEC is actively investigating this report.
All wildlife is potentially dangerous and should not be disturbed. If people see the alligator in this area, environmental crime or believe a violation of environmental law occurred, they should contact DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement hotline at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267).
Additional background:
While rare, alligators are not unheard of in New York State. It is illegal to keep an alligator as a pet in New York. However it is possible that an individual obtained an alligator out of state, kept it as a pet until it became too large to care for, and released it into New York waters."