PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — This was no mere "Florida man" story. This was a not-even-a-scary-alligator-can-mess-with-a-guy-from-Philadelphia story.
A viral video of Eugene Pozzi showcased the Philly native capturing an alligator outside his home, taking it across the street and releasing it nearby unharmed, according to the New York Post.
“It was spur of the moment thinking,” Bozzi told the publication about the incident which happened Tuesday at his home.
The Instagram video "of the whole jawn," as account owner Abdul Malik put it, shows Bozzi, an Army veteran, pushing a recycling receptacle toward the alligator. Its mouth was agape and opening wider as the can came closer.
Bozzi then flipped the plastic bin's attached lid which struck the alligator's head. The alligator entered the bin, though its tail was violently wagging as Bozzi tipped the receptacle upright to fully encase the big reptile inside.
He then crossed the street with the recycling can, rolled it down a grass embankment toward a nearby body of water, opened the receptacle, tipped it on its side and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
The apparently scared gator slowly went the other way as Bozzi recovered his garbage can.
Well, maybe. But it took Philly guts to do it.
Though he told the Post the next time something like a gator attempts to invade his home, "wildlife rescue" should expect a phone call.
