Man Proposes to his Girlfriend at Their New Jersey Alma Mater While Dressed as Mascot

Both Stacy and Andy were alumni of the school and now work there together.

A New Jersey man dressed up as a college mascot to set up the ultimate surprise proposal for his girlfriend.

It was a typical day at Montclair State University when Stacy Albanese, the associate director of alumni relations, was approached by Rocky the Red Hawk, the school's mascot.

In a video shared on YouTube, Rocky is seen walking down an aisle of desks while holding a basket of lollipops.

Rocky then put the basket down, turned to face Albanese, got down on one knee and opened a ring box.

Albanese had a blank, confused look on her face, even after her boyfriend, Andy Fagioli, revealed himself as the one in the mascot costume.

"I don’t know what I was thinking when he took the head off," Albanese told InsideEdition.com. "I’ve never been more stunned in my life!"

"Is this real life?" she asked in the video.

Fagioli is the web & media developer at Montclair State University and is also involved in "Team Rocky," the student group behind the mascot.

Albanese said it was common Rocky behavior, so she did not suspect anything.

“Andy had told me Rocky would be in our building for some meeting or event so it was completely normal to me!" she said.

After finally processing what was going on, Albanese shook her head in approval and Andy put the ring on her finger. The office burst into applause and cheers.

Both Albanese and Fagioli are alumni of the school.

“For those who know us well, it's obvious how perfect this proposal is for us,” she wrote in a subsequent Facebook post. “For those who may need a little context, Andy and I both work at Montclair State (and are also graduates, of course!)."

Albanese thanked everyone for their well wishes on the post.

“Thank you again to everyone who has reached out via social media, and for all of the calls, texts, and well wishes in person. We are very touched by the support and love!”

She added: “To my fiancé...you got me good. I love you more and cannot wait to be your wife! Cheers to us, bub."

Speaking to InsideEdition.com, Albanese said, "I knew it was coming soon but never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined it would happen like that!"

The couple resides in Little Fall, N.J., with their turtle, Leo, and cat, Rick O'Shea.

RELATED STORIES