Animal Planet star Ed Cassano was killed in a hit-and-run while examining a snake on an Arizona highway.
Cassano, 81, a Florida-based wildlife enthusiast who appeared in the 2010 exotic pets documentary “Fatal Attractions,” was struck on Aug. 7 in rural Arizona while pulled over on the roadside with a childhood friend to look at a snake, according to local outlet Gila Valley Central. The father of two was found dead lying in the road.
The alleged driver, Ricky Finch, 57, fled the scene in his white Ford Fusion, leaving Cassano behind. Finch remained a wanted man for more than a week before calling law enforcement last Monday to turn himself in. He was arrested outside his home in Graham County, Arizona, and booked on charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
Cassano landed his television break because he lived with 40 snakes, a passion that defined both his career and his daily life. In his “Fatal Attractions” episode, he spoke openly about the thrill of working with deadly reptiles.
“Even after all these years, every time I go into a venomous snake cage, there’s always a little adrenaline boost,” he said in the episode.
“You’re just inches away from death at that point, so you’re dealing with something that is dangerous on a daily basis.”
“It’s very, very exciting and challenging and satisfying to try and establish a mutual trust with these animals.”
Rhett Stanbury, who knew Cassano for 15 years, posted a lengthy tribute online mourning the loss of his mentor and friend. Stanbury credited Cassano with changing the course of his entire life through training, guidance, and friendship.
“He was not only a best friend, he was a mentor and father figure,” Stanbury wrote online.
“He was one of the most dependable and loyal people I’ve ever had in my life. No matter the situation, he was someone I could always count on to be there for me.”
Stanbury detailed how Cassano had trained him to obtain his venomous license in Florida, taught him photography, and took him on his first out-of-state snake hunting trip. The pair spent weeks together searching for rattlesnakes in the deserts of Arizona and tracking vipers in Costa Rica.
“Ed is the person who I trained under to get my venomous license here in Florida, he is the person who taught me about photography, he’s the person I called when I didn’t know how to fix something, he’s the person who took me on my first out-of-state snake hunting trip (yes snake hunting for you old timers),” Stanbury wrote.
“He is someone who changed the entire trajectory of my life, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”
Stanbury also recalled Cassano’s devotion to his animals, noting that the reptile keeper raised some of the largest and most impressive species of venomous snakes and kept all his animals for the entirety of their lives, including a normal ball python for 60 years. Cassano’s compassion extended beyond reptiles to his beloved Airedale Terriers.
“Ed was also a reptile keeper, he raised some of the largest and most impressive species of venomous snakes you would ever see and kept all of his animals for their entirety of their lives, including a normal ball python for 60 years,” Stanbury said.
“He was one of the most caring and compassionate people when it came to animals, and his most beloved were his Airedale Terriers.”
In the viral moment that claimed his life, Cassano had simply pulled over to the side of a highway to examine a snake, a routine act for a man who had spent decades in close proximity to venomous reptiles. The incident occurred in front of a childhood friend who accompanied him on the trip. What should have been another ordinary encounter with wildlife turned fatal when Finch allegedly struck Cassano and drove away without stopping.
Stanbury expressed gratitude for the time he had with Cassano and the chances he took to tell him how much he mattered.
“If he wasn’t such an amazing person this wouldn’t be such a hard transition to a new reality without him. I am so glad I had the time with him I did, I am glad I told him many times, how much he meant to me and how much I valued him,” he wrote.
Finch remains in custody as the case proceeds through the Graham County justice system.