An woman from Alaska is the toast of Brooklyn after a show of bravado in the face of an aimless opossum.
According to NBC New York, the incident happened last Thursday. Temkin’s Bar in Greenpoint was crowded and in full swing, at the time wild opossum scrambled in and set patrons in a tizzy. The sounds of customers’ squalls and whimpers can be heard at the start of a now-viral animal video that captured the incredible moments that followed.
While many might have opted to instead play opossum in the face of the frightened and hissing marsupial, Sara Fulton became Chuck Norris. She strode right in after the wild animal, scruffed it like a cat, and then with opossum clasped firmly in one hand, sauntered right out of the bar to set it free.
"I was outside hanging out with my friend outside the bar, the door was open, and then all of a sudden we see this critter run in, and we looked at each other, and we just were like, 'Was that a dog? Is that a rat?'" Fulton recalled to NBC New York in an interview. “We both looked at each other and were like, 'That was too big to be a rat! It has to be an opossum.'"
Her Alaskan instincts then kicked in in a decidedly un-Alaskan setting.
"I’m from Alaska and I used to go camping with black bears hanging out at my campsite,” she explained. "I think it was just instinctual, I just like went up to him and I was like, 'Hey I know you’re afraid' … and I was like, 'All right, I think I’m just gonna scruff you and take you out because that would be the least painful for you.'"
An onlooker captured Fulton’s swift actions in a video which she later posted to Instagram. "I did that," she captioned the post.
Soon after the video of Fulton spread around, users on social media were quick to express shock, praise and a desire to send Fulton a round of drinks.
"You are brave I definitely would (have) ran," one user commented on her Instagram.
"That’s the most 'New York' thing I’ve seen to date," another remarked.
It didn’t take long for users on social media to start the call to have Fulton crowned.
"I would like to nominate this Alaskan woman removing a possum from a bar in Greenpoint while Led Zeppelin blares as today’s @david_j_roth New Yorker Of Distinction," one user said, sharing a video clip of Fulton’s incredible act.
Along with concern for the possum (whom many pointed out looked visibly afraid of the scenario), many were quick to make clever speculation as to why the little guy ended up in the bar in the first place.
"Probably went through a bad breakup and wanted to drown its sorrows," one Twitter user quipped.
"I love this woman who is TCB," another remarked, using the acronym that stands for Taking Care of Business. "I love this party possum out past her bedtime, I love the mighty cheer from the crowd, everyone is doing great here. 10/10 no notes."
Fortunately for the patrons at Temkin’s Bar that night, the opossum didn’t set the roof on fire. Once Fulton set the animal on its way, the unforgettable night turned into a party, and drinks were poured in her honor for the rest of the night.
"They’re like, 'You’re a hero, you’re a celebrity.' I’m like, 'What? No,'" Fulton said of the evening. “For me, it’s just a wild animal. But I have to realize I’m not in Alaska, and that’s not something you see every day.”
