An Amazon delivery driver accused of taking a California family’s cat from outside their home now says there is another side to the story: he claims the cat was his.
Joshua Gonzalez was caught on Ring doorbell footage picking up a cat while delivering a package to Brenda Wilson’s home in Bakersfield. The video sparked outrage after Wilson said the driver had taken her family’s cat, Junie.
But Gonzalez is now pushing back, telling KGET he believed the animal was actually his own missing pet.
“I recognized it was my cat because of its distinct forehead design, the eyes, and how the body was set. I knew it was my cat. So I just grabbed him and walked off,” Gonzalez told the outlet.
Wilson had previously shared the doorbell footage, which appeared to show the driver dropping off a package, picking up the cat and leaving with the animal in his arms.
She later filed a police report, and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office said the case was being investigated as an apparent “theft of a cat.”
Gonzalez, however, disputes that Junie belongs to Wilson’s family.
According to KGET, he showed the station paperwork from Wasco Animal Control that he says proves he adopted a gray domestic shorthair cat in October 2025. Gonzalez said he picked out the cat for his 7-year-old daughter.
But the paperwork reportedly identifies the animal only as a gray domestic shorthair. It does not appear to include a photo, name, sex, or specific markings that would clearly prove the cat’s identity.
Gonzalez said he later gave the records to his employer, but was still told he would no longer be working.
“My manager calls me. Says to come pick up my check before Monday or Tuesday and that I was being terminated,” Gonzalez told KGET.
Amazon has said the driver worked for an independent contractor that delivers packages for the company. The company confirmed to KGET that Gonzalez is no longer allowed to deliver Amazon packages.
“We’ve been in contact with the driver’s employer and the driver is no longer allowed to deliver Amazon packages,” Amazon said in a statement. “We’ll continue to work with law enforcement and will defer to them for details as they investigate.”
Wilson is standing by her claim that the cat belongs to her family. She told KGET that her family has had Junie for years and also confirmed that Gonzalez once lived in her neighborhood.
Gonzalez admitted the doorbell video “does not look good,” but insisted he was not stealing.
“I didn’t do anything bad, but get my cat back. And it’s now in the rightful home. It’s back where it belongs,” he told KGET.
The investigation remains open, and no criminal charges have been filed.
