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Wild video shows Florida transplant trapping alligator his 'own way' — in a garbage bin

Clad in shorts, a T-shirt, socks and slippers, Eugene Bozzi could be seen in the viral clip inching closer toward the alligator as it trailed backward.
/ Source: NBC News

Eugene Bozzi was thrown into the national spotlight this week after a video of him trapping an alligator in a garbage bin in Florida went viral.

"Somebody's gotta step up and do something," Bozzi told NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando, Florida. "We all got to look out for each other right?"

The Philadelphia native has only been in the Sunshine State for a year.

"I don't know the procedures, so I did it my own way," said Bozzi, a military veteran and dad.

In the viral clip posted on social media Tuesday, he could be seen confronting the alligator with an open trash bin on its side in a front yard. Clad in shorts, a T-shirt, socks and slippers, Bozzi can be seen in the clip inching closer toward the reptile as it trailed backward.

The footage captured him wrangling the flailing alligator inside the garbage bin before eventually closing the lid, securing its capture.

"I was frightened when I had it in it because it was so powerful, and I didn't expect that," Bozzi said. "And it was pushing itself out, whipping its tail around."

He said he moved the garbage bin toward the retention pond where the gator was released.

Since the incident went viral, Bozzi said he has been flooded with messages.

"I got so many inboxes, DMs, women saying things, men saying things, people that I do know, friends," he said.

The wild encounter even caught the attention of authorities and wildlife officials.

The official Twitter account of Orange County, Florida, retweeted the video, saying: "Reminder: Alligators are not recyclable in your blue lid cart."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission added: "Concerned about an alligator? Don’t grab a garbage can, call our hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286) & we can dispatch a REAL alligator trapper."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.