Eugene Bozzi, a military veteran in Florida, has become an internet sensation after he was seen in a video while using a trash can to capture an alligator loitering in a neighbor's front yard. The viral video, seen by millions, shows the alligator backing away as Bozzi approaches the animal with a trash can.

As the alligator continues to slide back, the veteran turns to the crowd who was watching the incident and tells them to let him "know when the head goes inside."

Seconds later, as the animal's head goes inside the trash can, Bozzi closes the lid as fast as possible and uses all his power to pull the bin up while the animal's body is trapped inside.

"I saw that he was more timid and he was backing down, so that's why I knew I had the advantage," he told USA Today.

After trapping the gator, Bozzi dragged the trash can to a bushy area that was located next to a body of water nearby. The alligator crawled out and disappeared into the bushes after the veteran kicked the bin open and ran off.  

The heroic neighbor felt that he had to take action because he was worried about the children who were playing outside of his home in Mount Dora, Florida. 

“I said, 'No, I'm removing it because he's probably hungry,'" he said. "The only thing that came to my mind was to protect my kids and the other children outside."

The unusual sequence garnered plenty of attention on social media.

The suspense was too much for some viewers to take.

The terrifying scene also fueled plenty of jokes on social media.

While some were worried about the gator, Bozzi said the animal didn't appear to be hurt. He also said no humans were injured.

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