A 7-foot, 6-inch alligator was found on the front porch of a Palm Bay home early Friday morning, but a security alert allowed residents to avoid a potentially dangerous encounter. Sierra Wynn said the reptile was discovered just before 4 a.m. on Malabar Road, near her home off Malabar Road in Palm Bay. The gator was seen patrolling the front porch, with its tail knocking against the door and emitting deep growls. Wynn said she thought the animal might have tried to enter through a window. "He just looked so mean," she said. "I thought he was going to come through the window." The security camera footage showed the gator moving around the house, and Wynn said the alert gave her and her family time to call authorities. "If we didn’t have the cameras and the features where we get notifications that animals are in your yard, you know, who knows what would have happened?" she said. Palm Bay Police and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the scene. Wynn watched from inside her home as officers worked to safely remove the gator. She described the moment the animal became agitated, looking directly at her through a flashlight. "He started opening up his mouth, and he was growling and hissing," she said. The encounter left the family shaken. "We were scared, terrified," Wynn said. Authorities later confirmed the gator was removed from the area. Wynn said the incident highlights the importance of security systems in rural areas where wildlife encounters are common. "If I would have opened the garage to get something, who knows?" she said. "It could have been a lot worse."