THE roommate of a hiker who was mauled to death by an alligator joked about being attacked in the water just moments before the deadly encounter.
Brittany Clark, 31, was ambushed by the razor-toothed beast as she took a dip in a Florida river with her boyfriend, Chance Allison, and roommate Jayden Hernandez.
The nature lover bled out after the gator took off one of her arms and left the other “hanging by a thread”.
Jayden has revealed she had been joking about an alligator being in the “murky” water just minutes before the animal’s attack.
The roommate said on Facebook: “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.”
She said Brittany had “literally commented on how she thought he [Chance] was gonna act like he got attacked and we just laughed”.
Jayden said: “It was just a joke… and just a few minutes later my bestfriend got attacked.”
It comes as Brittany’s devastated dad, Robert, 57, has revealed how he had been on the phone with Jayden who was describing the harrowing ordeal in the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest.
Jayden told him how she and Chance had been trying to keep Brittany alive in the moments after the horror.
Robert told the New York 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.”
Robert added that his family was already grieving from the death of his mother Barbara, 80, on Thursday when he learned his daughter was killed.
It comes after a chilling 911 call laid bare the horrific final moments of the hiker as she was mauled to death as Chance screamed for help.
During the attack, Chance and the friend frantically dialled 911 as the predator appeared to continue chomping Brittany.
The frenzied call captured the horror of the attack, with Jayden describing Brittany’s injuries as “horrible”, adding that “one of her arms is completely off and the other one is like attached barely.”
She yelled: “Hurry… she’s losing a lot of blood… we need to stop the blood.”
Screaming and crying can be heard in the background as the trio kept grappling with the beast.
Moments later, Chance yelled “both her arms, both her arms are off” while the friend said that one was “hanging by a thread”.
When asked where the other arm was, she replied: “Gone.”
Chance told the operator that he managed to drag Brittany out of the water with the help of a friend.
He said: “We’re far off the trail, we’re off of a little launch area by the river… We need help now!”
The operator replied: “You may see a helicopter. If you see it, just try and flag it down if you can.”
Brittany survived the initial attack and was rushed to hospital, but later succumbed to her injuries.
A medical examiner’s report of the tragedy read: “While they were swimming an alligator grabbed [Brittany] by her arm and began the ‘death roll’.
“Her boyfriend Chance grabbed the alligator trying to get it to release her when it took them both underwater.”
Alligators and crocodiles often subdue their victims with a “death roll” – a violent technique that spins victims underwater until they drown.
Chance was able to free one of Brittany’s arms “for a moment” before it clamped down on the other one.
The report adds: “Chance attempted to bring them both to shore when the alligator finally let go and CPR was started on shore by her boyfriend, and 911 was called.”
Two alligators, one 13ft and the other 12ft, were captured by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials.
FWC spokesperson Chad Weber said: “They were hiking and they just stopped to swim.”
“She was bitten on both of her arms. The boyfriend was the one that made the phone call. He was trying to get her from the alligator’s mouth, and on the way to the hospital she did pass away from her injuries.”
Brittany’s older brother, Nick, told FOX 35 that she loved the outdoors and was full of life.
He said: “She was an amazing person; she was nice and helpful with anyone that needed any kind of help.”
