From Fortune · Steven John · · 1m 50s
Prank backfires: strangers give Red Baron worker $761,514
A video of a prankster faking an Apple Pay theft from a pizza delivery worker went viral, turning the worker into the beneficiary of a massive GoFundMe campaign.
In brief
A video of a prankster faking an Apple Pay theft from a pizza delivery worker went viral, turning the worker into the beneficiary of a massive GoFundMe campaign. A prank on a Red Baron worker backfired when his emotional response went viral, prompting strangers to donate over seven hundred sixty-one thousand dollars…
A prank goes wrong on camera
A prankster faked an Apple Pay theft from a Red Baron Pizza worker stocking a grocery store freezer, claiming he took ten dollars.The worker, Walt Z.
Walt's breaking point becomes viral
Walt told the prankster his life was hard enough already, explaining his kids went to bed without him and he had to be up at five a.m.to visit ten more stores.
“I can't even pay my goddamn mortgage! And I got four kids at home!”
The prankster disappears, video spreads
The Instagram account that posted the clip was deleted, but the video spread across X and Reddit. The encounter had actually taken place in August, months before it went viral online.
Red Baron backs its worker publicly
Schwan's Company, Red Baron's parent, said it had connected with the worker to check on his well-being and offered full support.
“He's still here. He's got a fan club. Including us.”
A stranger launches the fundraiser
Luke Oakenshield, a military veteran who had never met Walt, started a GoFundMe titled Support a Harassed Red Baron Worker on October twenty-seventh.
Donations reach $761,514 as story spreads
The campaign crossed five hundred thousand dollars by October thirtieth as conservative commentators including Benny Johnson and Collin Rugg amplified it.
Walt's story resonates with millions
Walt is a full-time worker who says he cannot cover his mortgage.Some sixty-three percent of Americans say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a July two thousand twenty-six CNBC SurveyMonkey poll.
At a glance
A prank on a Red Baron worker backfired when his emotional response went viral, prompting strangers to donate over seven hundred sixty-one thousand dollars to help him pay his mortgage.
