A hardworking Red Baron employee who was ridiculed by an influencer in a viral video has shared a heartfelt message of thanks after members of the public raised more than $600,000 for him.
Walt Z was the target of a cruel prank while stocking shelves at a Michigan grocery store. The clip was originally posted in August on a page that has since been deleted, but recently spread widely after being reshared across social media.
In the video, a streamer approached Walt and asked him for the time. When Walt took out his phone to check, the person behind the camera played the Apple Pay chime on his own device, pretending to take money from him.
The father of four initially remained calm and asked the prankster to leave him alone. As the exchange continued, however, Walt explained that the incident was not funny to him. He said he worked hard to support his family and simply wanted to finish work and get home to them.
After the video resurfaced, it quickly went viral and prompted an outpouring of support, with viewers donating money to help Walt and his family.
One viewer, Luke Oakenshield, was so affected by the video that he created a GoFundMe page on Tuesday. All donations made through the fundraiser will go directly to Walt.
More than $585,000 had been raised for Walt on the platform by Friday evening. A separate GiveSendGo fundraiser had collected more than $14,200.
Walt has since posted a heartfelt message on GoFundMe thanking those who supported him. He wrote: “I wanted to take a moment to personally thank everyone who has donated, shared this fundraiser, or left a kind message. The kindness and encouragement you’ve shown me and my family have meant more than I can put into words.”
Walt Z, the Red Barron employee who was part of a cruel online prank, has issued a heartwarming statement after getting support from the public
More than 585,000 has been raised for Walt on GoFundMe as of Friday evening. A separate GiveSendGo fundraiser has raised over $14,200 for him
‘My family and I are doing well, and I’m grateful to have supportive people around me. I’ve been keeping things private to protect my family’s privacy, and I appreciate everyone respecting that.
‘I’ve also received a lot of interview requests. Being in the spotlight isn’t something I would normally seek out, but I’m considering sharing my story. Before making that decision, I want to make sure it’s with people who will treat me and my family with care and respect our privacy.
‘Please know that even if I haven’t responded to your message or comment, your support has made a difference. From me and my family, thank you.’
After the influencer pretended to take money from Walt, he told the man behind the camera: ‘Don’t mess with me right now.’
But the person recording continued prodding and provoking him to get a reaction.
Once Walt began getting upset, the prankster told him to calm down and repeated: ‘It’s just a joke.’
But Walt didn’t see it that way, telling the other man: ‘It’s not a joke to me… My life is hard enough as it is.’ His voice began trembling as he continued: ‘I got kids at home that went to bed without me. I was supposed to be at home an hour ago, and I’m still out here working!’
The worker then shouted: ‘And I gotta get up at five in the morning and do 10 more stores! So this is not a joke to me!’
The father-of-four initially responded calmly, telling the prankster to leave him alone, but as the moment carried on, Walt told the streamer that it wasn’t a joke to him because he works hard to provide for his family and that he just wanted to get home to them
‘And now I’m probably gonna get kicked out of the store because of you,’ he then said before the person recording replied: ‘Okay, I’m sorry.’
‘No, you’re not sorry because you’ve got a smug look on your face,’ Walt said. ‘You’re probably making money off this! I can’t even pay my goddamn mortgage, and I got four kids at home!’
People online overwhelmingly responded with sympathy for the hardworking father and called out the prankster, with many calling him a ‘wannabe influencer’ and a ‘punk.’
Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for Governor of Ohio, also shared his support for Walt.
He and his wife, Apoorva, donated a whopping $38,000 to the GoFundMe, and Vivek posted a video on X about him standing with the employee.
‘Hey Walt, I just want to tell you, we got your back. You’re brave and you speak for millions of Americans across this country, including in my home state of Ohio.
‘In your honor, we’ve got Red Barron pizza on our bus tour today. This one’s for you Walt, we got your back,’ the politician said as he held up frozen pizzas.
A spokesperson for Red Baron’s parent company, CJ Schwan’s, told the New York Post: ‘We are aware of the video circulating on social media involving one of our Direct Store Delivery employees during an incident that occurred in August.
‘Following the incident, we connected directly with our team member to check on his well-being, and we continue to offer our support. We are pleased to share that he is doing well and remains a valued member of our team.’
