A 22-year-old Australian man was killed by a crocodile after the creature seized him by the shoulders and dragged him beneath the water. Two friends, both aged 19, remained stuck in a tree for 22 hours as they attempted to evade the same saltwater crocodile, which displayed their friend's mutilated body to them from the rising floodwaters below.
Incident Details
In December 2003, Brett Mann died at age 22 in the Finniss River in Australia's Northern Territory, 50 miles south-west of Darwin. Mann fell victim to the 13-foot (four meters) long crocodile after the three friends had been quad-biking along a muddy trail in an abandoned tin mine beside the river and paused by the water to bathe.
Mann was killed by the 'saltie', the nickname for saltwater crocs in Australia. The deadly predator kept his body in its jaws and 'paraded' its victim while his two friends looked on in terror from a nearby tree. The duo had rapidly climbed to the top to avoid the same fate.
Survivors' Account
Shaun Blowers and Ashley McGough, both 19, described their harrowing experience. Blowers revealed the crocodile had also tried to lunge at them, but they managed to climb a tree in the flooded stream and discovered a way to escape by remaining perched in its branches. Both teenagers were discovered by a police search team 22 hours later.
In a statement issued at the time, Blowers explained Mann had "lost his footing and got swept away", saying: "Brett went out just a little bit further, it was a real sandy bank and just lost his footing and got swept away. We both [Blowers and McGough] jumped in and swam after him and we got in front of him and were leading him back to the bank. I went past the croc, I didn't see it. Ashley screamed out 'croc, croc'. We just swam to the nearest tree and straight up we went. We were looking around for Brett (but) didn't hear a thing, didn't hear a scream, no splashing or anything."
The crocodile had seized Mann by the shoulders and pulled him beneath the surface, a hunting technique used by saltwater crocodiles to drown their victims. Blowers said: "Two minutes later the croc brought Brett to the surface and pretty much showed him off to us and off he swam. Five minutes later he was back stalking the tree around us. He just hung around us all night and pretty much all the next morning."
Rescue and Aftermath
Blowers and McGough were rescued by emergency services via helicopter and transported to Darwin, where they received treatment for exposure and shock. Northern Territory police spokesman John McCourt said: "During the evening it was so dark they couldn't see themselves. They wouldn't have had any idea whether the waters would rise or fall. If they rose they'd probably have been done for."
Blowers' father, Greg, described Mann as "the best bloke I've ever known". He said: "I just hope the rangers can find it and get our old mate Brett back, and put a bullet in its head. I'm pretty grateful I'm going to have a full family for Christmas. I think I probably appreciate that a hell of a lot more than I used to."
Despite extensive searches for Mann's remains, they were reportedly never recovered. Later in December 2003, the BBC reported that the man-eating crocodile was believed to have been killed by wildlife rangers, according to police.
Based on current data, an estimated 100,000 saltwater crocodiles are distributed throughout Australia's Northern Territory. They remain a protected species, though their population has increased substantially since hunting bans were implemented in the 1970s. Saltwater crocodiles have been connected to over 20 deadly attacks on humans in Australia over the last two decades, including the death of a 12-year-old girl in July 2024.
