An 8-year-old Pennsylvania boy caught a piranha in a local pond.

A routine father-son fishing trip turned into a unique adventure after a boy pulled a piranha out of a Pennsylvania lake. The story uncovers the origins of the bloodthirsty, dangerous fish in the local reservoir and what happened to the caught trophy. Daily Mail.

On August 8, 8-year-old Seamus Coffey and his father, Michael, headed to Ridley Park Lake in suburban Philadelphia for one of their usual weekend family fishing trips.

At first, everything went as usual: Michael caught two catfish. But the fishing soon became much more interesting when Seamus felt a bite on his small rod. The fish turned out to be so heavy that it was quite difficult to land.

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Michael remembered telling his son, "Slow down, buddy, or you'll miss it. Looks like we've caught something we've never caught before."

When they finally managed to land the fish, father and son saw something they had never seen before, at least not in person. The fish had gray-green scales, a red belly, and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"I thought, 'Oh, it's a sunfish... no, I have no idea what that is,'" Michael said. "Then it turned out my son was the one who correctly identified the fish. He said to me, 'It's a piranha!'"

When asked how he knew what this type of fish looked like, Seamus replied, "Because I watch YouTube."

Michael said he initially considered releasing the piranha back into the water, as they typically adhere to a catch-and-release policy. But he soon realized the invasive fish needed to be eradicated.

"Basically, we need to get rid of her for the sake of the ecosystem," Michael explained. "So we humanely killed her and left her there to be eaten by a turtle that lives in the rocks on the shore."

Pennsylvania Fish and Marine Commission spokesman Mike Parker said the agency's biologists confirmed it was indeed a piranha and that the father did the right thing by getting rid of it.

According to Parker, piranhas live in lakes and rivers in South America, and in Pennsylvania, such fish could pose a danger to people and disrupt the local ecosystem.

He explained that people sometimes buy piranhas and other exotic species as pets and then, when they realize they can no longer care for them, throw them into lakes or other natural bodies of water.

"People want to get an exotic fish, snake, or alligator, and while the animal is small, it seems cute. But then, perhaps, they can no longer afford it or can't keep it, so they decide it's not their problem anymore," Parker suggested.

According to him, the piranha was most likely released into the lake quite recently, since it would hardly have been able to survive for long in unsuitable conditions.

Parker noted that people can quickly become tired of the special care that exotic animals require and decide that the best option is to release their pet into a river or pond.

"But for an animal that was a pet, this is the worst thing you can do," he stressed.

A Pennsylvania Fish and Marine Commission spokesperson noted that while owning some exotic animals as pets may not be legally prohibited, releasing such animals into the wild is still illegal.

According to him, this could result in a fine and criminal prosecution.

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Although the introduction of piranha into the lake was the result of an illegal and irresponsible act, it provided Michael and his son with an adventure they are unlikely to forget.

"We've had all sorts of things happen while fishing, but this story definitely takes first place," the father confirmed.

As for Seamus, the boy is already dreaming of going to the lake again. "Fishing is my favorite pastime," he admitted.

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