Mike Dragich wasn’t barefoot on I-95 in Florida by mistake. He says doing his job, which includes wrestling alligators out of human-occupied spaces, is just “easier that way.” Last weekend, he helped the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office haul a 10-foot beast away from cars on the highway…and the clip of the event went viral.

Meet Florida’s “Blue Collar Brawler”

“He was a fat alligator,” Dragich told First Coast News. The specialist said that the animal was likely out looking for a female.

When asked about his shoelessness, Dragich didn’t flinch. “I live life barefoot.” He says it’s just better to catch alligators barefoot.

Each time he gets a call in a high-traffic zone, a crowd forms to watch him work. Just in the last three years, he’s caught several 8-to-10-foot beasts. He even caught a 10-footer from a schoolyard with his bare hands. “These types of calls are like the gator signal in the sky, just calling me to come and save the city.”

Dragich doesn’t just serve as Florida’s Nuisance Alligator Trapper

He’s a Marine Corps veteran and works hard to help other veterans and first responders out of mental health crises. His mission, which formed Project Savior Outdoors, started with a late-night FaceTime call from another Marine. When he answered the phone, the Marine was holding a gun to his head. After three hours of praying, his friend put the gun down.

Dragich took the event as a calling to help as many veterans and first responders as possible. He says getting opportunities to help the Florida community is what it’s all about. “It doesn’t make any difference in the world if it doesn’t help somebody else.”