An 8-year-old boy in Pennsylvania headed to a local lake hoping to catch bass or catfish but ended up reeling in something far more unusual.
He caught a piranha, a fish native to South America and wildly out of place in suburban Philadelphia.
The catch is also a reminder that some unsettling wildlife encounters trace back to human decisions rather than nature alone.
Here's what to know
Fox News reported that 8-year-old Seamus Coffey was fishing at Ridley Park Lake when he reeled in what turned out to be a roughly 9.5-inch, 2-pound piranha. State fish officials later confirmed the catch.
Before he got a good look at it, Seamus assumed he had hooked something common.
"I'm reeling it in, and I think there's a bass," he told 6ABC Philadelphia.
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Michael Coffey, his father, quickly suspected the fish was anything but routine.
"I was like, 'Slow down dude, you might lose it.' This looks like something we haven't caught before," Michael recalled to 6ABC Philadelphia.
Piranhas are not native to Pennsylvania waters, so state officials think the fish was likely an unwanted pet that someone let go. Releasing exotic animals into the wild is illegal in Pennsylvania and can endanger both local ecosystems and the animals themselves.
More background
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission spokesperson Mike Parker said officials believe someone likely released an unwanted pet into the lake.
A BBC Future report on why wild animals attack humans points to human behavior as a factor in many such incidents.
Pennsylvania has seen a similar case before. In July 2016, Fox News reported that a woman and her son caught a red-bellied piranha at North Park Lake near Pittsburgh, and officials again suspected an aquarium release.
What can be done?
One safeguard already exists: Pennsylvania law bans residents from letting exotic animals loose in the wild. Anyone who does can be fined or face criminal charges.
Parker said Michael Coffey ultimately removed the fish. A non-native species can create risks for both ecosystems and people.
Parker also said pets that seem easy to manage when they are small can become more difficult and expensive to house, feed, and care for over time.
The experience did not scare Seamus away. As he told 6ABC Philadelphia, "Fishing is my favorite thing."
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