“Florida man,” a popular phrase across the internet due to the wild things that happen in the Sunshine State, strikes again, and this time it involves a scuffle between an alligator, a man, and a trash can.
In an extremely viral video, 26-year-old Eugene Bozzi is seen approaching a scary-looking alligator with an open trash container. The alligator backs away while Bozzi yells at those standing by to “let him know when the head goes inside.”
Bozzi then closes the lid and hits the alligator’s head, causing it to freak out instantly. Bozzi tilts the trash container and somehow fits the giant alligator in it, closing the cover over its body.
It’s a video you have to see to believe.
Bozzi stated that his children brought the alligator to his attention, but he thought it was a baby gator at first. Once he went outside and saw how large it was, he knew he had to jump into action given that his children and other neighborhood kids were playing outside. Their home is located in Mount Dora, Florida, about 20 miles northwest of Orlando.
“I said, ‘No, I’m removing it because he’s probably hungry,'” Bozzi said. “The only thing that came to my mind was to protect my kids and the other children outside.”
Bozzi, a U.S. Army veteran, quickly decided to grab the recycling bin from his home and try to trap the gator. He said he struggled due to a bad angle initially and the gator could have taken an easy shot at him. However, he thinks what threw off the gator was the bin hitting it on its head.
“I used the front like a hippo mouth,” he said. “I saw that he was timider and he was backing down, so that’s why I knew I had the advantage.”
Once the gator was safe and secured within the bin, those overlooking the scary encounter began to cheer on Bozzi. He stated that even one mother thanked him countless times for his efforts.
Several people online felt the exact same way about the situation as they realized how wrong it could have gone.
Bozzi rolled the trash can with the gator inside towards a bushy area with a small body of water. He kicked the bin over and quickly scurried away. The alligator immediately crawled out before vanishing into the bushes. Thankfully, no humans, or the gator, were injured during the event.
Bozzi said he is still processing all the social media attention he has gotten from the viral video, but he still doesn’t feel like a hero.
“I feel like I was just doing what I was supposed to do at the time to make me feel more comfortable,” he said.
To watch the video of the terrifying encounter, click here.
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