Alligator on the loose in New Jersey

A crafty alligator is on the loose in New Jersey, twice evading cops who are amazed that the creature is roaming the Garden State.

The rogue reptile — which police say is capable of “inflicting serious or fatal injuries” — is 3 or 4 feet long and was first spotted in Lake Creighton at Victor Crowell Park in Middlesex on Wednesday, according to local cops in an animal alert Monday.

“This is a very novel thing for New Jersey. We don’t have alligators in the water. We’re not Florida,” Middlesex Borough police Lt. Thomas Falk told NJ Advance Media.

The wily creature has so far eluded officers — who have shot at it and launched drones and a boat in their efforts to find it.

One of the drones sent out on the gator hunt got stuck in a tree and had to be extracted by a fire department ladder truck.

American alligators are almost always confined to warmer, marshier climates between the Rio Grande in Texas and North Carolina, according to the Smithsonian National Zoo.

But the jaws-ome New Jersey creature was also seen in Ambrose Brook, which runs between Lake Creighton and the Raritan River, officials said.

Last week, witnesses spotted the gator lunge at a duck and pull it underwater, ABC7 reported.

Police are apparently at a loss for how to cope with the four-legged scofflaw.

After evading investi-gators Wednesday, the reptile slipped from cops’ grasp Saturday night — despite being shot at.

“Because the threat to public safety that this reptile causes is significant, a Middlesex Police Officer employed a safe discharge from a firearm in an attempt to neutralize it, while in close proximity,” said a statement explaining the weekend confrontation.

“The alligator immediately submerged into the brook and it was unconfirmed if the attempt was successful.”

Residents are encouraged to avoid Lake Creighton — which is known locally as the Duck Pond — and Ambrose Brook as authorities try to wrangle the gator.

Victor Crowell Park is also expected to be closed for at least 72 hours, police added.

“Citizens are strongly urged to stay away from Creighton Lake and the Ambrose Brook and should NOT approach or make attempts to capture the alligator,” Police Chief Matthew Geist insisted.

On Monday, officials deployed drones to scan the area for the gator, to no avail, ABC7 said.

A boat search continued Tuesday, NJ Advance Media reported.

NJ Fish and Wildlife is also sinking its teeth into the effort, soliciting tips about the alligator’s location so it can set a humane trap, ABC7 added.

The formidable carnivores are not legal as pets in New Jersey, though exotic animal enthusiasts have been known to smuggle them into the state.

Alligator owners in the US have been known to release their large “pets” into local waterways, which may be how the Middlesex chomper got loose, the outlet said.