Port Richmond, Pennsylvania resident Amanda Fairchild Boyce noticed her neighbor’s cat was trapped on a telephone pole
Boyce said told CBS that the cat got stuck at around 10:30 pm on a Friday. She and her neighbors had tried to rescue the cat themselves at first before calling for some outside help.
One of Boyce’s neighbors Sandy McLeish, an animal activist, was the one to find the Verizon worker, who agreed to help them with their rescue mission.
Watch German carefully rescue the cat from the pole
Verizon did not like the video and suspended him
The community was touched by German’s selfless act of goodwill, but Verizon said that the worker had put himself and those around him in danger and suspended him. “We take no joy in this job action,” Verizon spokesperson Rich Young said. “However, we’re committed and responsible for keeping our employees and customers safe while working in a particular area.”
In response to Verizon’s suspension, Boyce put the company on blast with an online post and asked people to spread the word of his generosity across the internet in support.
Word caught on of German’s story and a bystander from Friday’s rescue even created a GoFundMe page to support him, writing: “This generous man is now being punished! Maurice is being suspend from his job for saving an animal. Let’s support Maurice for his good deed while his employer punishes him!”
The donations exceeded the goal by Sunday and raised close to $3,000. People touched by the story have continued to contribute to the cause and the donation number continues to go up.
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