Syracuse, NY – A Central New York postal worker, who captured his battle with a cat on video, won $100,000 on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
Joe Cassidy, of Baldwinsville, works for the U.S. Postal Service in Syracuse. His showdown with the cat appeared on the show in January. The video, dubbed “Mail Slot Menace,” won the first place prize and Cassidy took home $10,000.
The video competed against nine other winning clips for the $100,000 prize. The show aired Sunday evening on ABC.
Joe Cassidy and his daughter Katie Cassidy celebrate Sunday night at Pizza Man Pub after winning $100,000 on “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
Cassidy’s friends and family watched the show together at Pizza Man Pub in Baldwinsville. The restaurant was closed for the night and Cassidy treated his guests to pizza and wings.
The crowded restaurant cheered when the video clip was announced, laughed during it and clapped when it was over. Cassidy was not allowed to tell his family and friends that he had won.
“Everyone kept asking me, but I didn’t tell anyone,” he said.
Cassidy said he owns a cat and loves cats. The cat in the video is owned by a man on his normal mail route. Cassidy said the cat attacked the mail three times and on the fourth time, Cassidy decided to record the encounter.
“It was October so I was wearing gloves for the first time and the cat grabbed my glove,” he said. “That made the video. That glove won me $100,000.”
Cassidy said the cat has not been back on the porch since the video was made. He also said that the cat’s owner did not want his name released to the public.
“I love that cat,” Cassidy said. “Now I just see him in the window.”
The video will compete against the other $100,000 winner from earlier this season for a chance to win two Disney vacations, one to Disney World in Florida and one to Disney Land in California. Cassidy said the show will air next Sunday.
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” posted Cassidy’s cat video for the first time on Wednesday, but the clip had already been viewed more than one million times on YouTube.
Here’s a clip of the full video:
via CNY postal worker’s cat video wins $100,000 prize on ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ | syracuse.com.