In the end, he had the last word — and plenty of support.
A Michigan father who sharply confronted two Instagram pranksters after they staged a cruel fake theft while he was working at a grocery store says he is “absolutely blown away” after more than $400,000 was donated to a fundraiser on his behalf in just two days.
In the viral video, two pranksters approached a Red Baron representative, identified only as Michigan resident Walt Z, as he stocked freezer shelves.
They asked him for the time before pretending to take money from him by playing a fake Apple Pay payment sound.
Walt responded by unleashing an emotional tirade at the pair, making clear that their stunt had crossed a line.
“My life is hard enough as it is, okay? I don’t need this crap,” Walt says in the video.
“Bro, bro, it’s just a joke! It’s just a prank,” one of the Instagrammers replies.
“I got kids at home that went to bed without me right now! I was supposed to be off an hour ago! I gotta wake up at 5 in the morning and do 10 more stores!” the exhausted worker shouts.
“I’m sorry, bro, chill. We’re just filming a video, it was just a joke —” the prankster says before Walt interrupts and steps toward him.
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“No, you don’t! You’re probably making money off of this! I can’t even pay my goddamn mortgage! And I got four kids at home! So not funny!” Walt fires back.
The pranksters uploaded the footage to Instagram, but removed it and deactivated their account after facing a wave of backlash online.
As people rallied behind the hardworking father, a verified GoFundMe campaign was launched for Walt. It has since raised approximately $413,000.
“Walt Z out of Michigan sends a heartfelt thank you, and is absolutely blown away by how much people have cared over this,” fundraiser organizer Luke Oakenshield wrote Wednesday.
According to Oakenshield, the Red Baron representative is “requesting privacy” following the incident, and the donated funds will be transferred directly to him.
“You’re all rock stars, and it shows,” Oakenshield added.
Oakenshield said he launched the campaign because the viral video raised “real concern that this hardworking person could lose their job because of a situation they did not create.”
A spokesperson for Red Baron’s parent company told The Post in a statement Wednesday that the company was aware of the video and had “connected directly with our team member to check on his well-being, and we continue to offer our full support.”
“We are pleased to share that he is doing well and remains a valued member of our team,” the spokesperson added.
