The boyfriend of Brittany Clark says he initially believed she was joking when a massive alligator suddenly attacked her during a hike in Central Florida, a terrifying encounter he says seemed to last forever.

Clark, 31, was fatally injured Sunday while visiting Little Big Econ State Forest with her boyfriend, Chance Allison, and her roommate, Jayden Hernandez. The group had entered the Econlockhatchee River when a 13 foot alligator unexpectedly surfaced and grabbed Clark.

Looking back on the horrifying moments, Allison said it took him only seconds to realize the danger was real.

“For the first two seconds I thought, ‘Is she joking?'” Allison told the New York Post.

“Once I realized that she wasn’t joking, I didn’t know what to do but to jump in and try to help. I tried to grab her.”

Although the attack lasted only an estimated 30 to 40 seconds, Allison said it felt much longer.

“It felt like it went on forever,” he recalled.

As the alligator held onto Clark, Allison desperately tried to pull her free. She suffered catastrophic injuries during the attack and was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where she later died from severe blood loss.

Earlier, Hernandez had said the three friends had actually joked about the possibility of an alligator being nearby after noticing bubbles in the water, never imagining one was about to emerge.

Body camera footage released Thursday by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office captured the frantic rescue effort after deputies arrived at the scene.

The video shows an officer running through dense vegetation before reaching the riverbank, where Clark had been moved beneath a temporary canopy.

Allison later explained that he set up the shelter to protect her from the intense Florida sun while they waited for emergency crews.

Despite knowing alligators lived in the area, Allison said they had visited the same location before without any problems.

“We knew there were gators out there,” he said, adding that they had swum there previously and had “never, ever had issues.”

He described witnessing the attack as one of the most frightening experiences of his life.

“It definitely brought the nightmares for the first couple of nights,” Allison said.

Even as he continues to grieve, Allison said he has been overwhelmed by support from family members, friends and complete strangers.

“I’m thankful for that, but it’s still just not right for this to happen,” he said.

“It shouldn’t have happened to her. She was such an amazing girl and she had so much ahead of her.”

Although he admitted he remains in shock, Allison said he is doing his best to stay strong.

He is now working to organize a public celebration of Clark’s life and expects hundreds of people to attend.

“I’ll be making a Facebook post about that for all her friends to show up,” he said. “It will be hard to find a venue big enough.”

In the days following the tragedy, Allison also shared one of the final conversations he had with Clark before she was taken to the hospital.

According to Allison, Clark asked him to make sure her beloved German Shepherd, Hokie, would be cared for.

The couple had brought Hokie and Allison’s pit bull mix, Bulma, on the hike that day.

Since Clark’s death, Allison has taken both Hokie and her cat, Shady, into his home, where they now live alongside Bulma as he continues to honor her final wish.