Walt Zerod, a Michigan delivery worker for Red Baron frozen pizza, has decided to stop a GoFundMe campaign that raised nearly $785,000 for his family. The father of four announced the decision on Thursday, November 5, thanking the more than 22,000 people who reportedly contributed after a video of him confronting a social media prankster went viral.
Zerod was working a long shift stocking grocery store freezers when the incident happened. According to the account of the encounter, a group of creators approached him and pretended to take $10 using an Apple Pay transaction trick.
What might have seemed like a harmless stunt to them clearly didn’t go down that way. In the video, Zerod loses his temper and explains that he is struggling to keep up with his mortgage while raising four children.
Zerod wants to leave the viral attention behind
The clip didn’t take long to spread. It made its way across X and Instagram, where many viewers criticized the pranksters and expressed sympathy for Zerod. Of those wanting to help, one was Luke Oakenshield, who reportedly set up a GoFundMe for the family. The donations soon exceeded the initial $160,000 milestone, eventually climbing to $784,273.
In an update posted to the fundraising page, Zerod said he was stepping away from the attention surrounding the incident. He also made it clear on his GoFundMe that he wouldn’t be doing any media interviews. His family’s privacy and safety, he explained, mattered more than continuing to discuss what had happened.
This broke me. Find this man. Find him and I will personally fundraise for him. https://t.co/hwdHT8hJvI
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) October 28, 2026
He also had some personal news to share about Oakenshield. The two had reportedly become close friends since the fundraiser began, and Zerod thanked him for helping bring his family’s situation to the attention of thousands of people.
The money raised appears to have taken some of the pressure off the family, particularly when it comes to their mortgage. But Zerod doesn’t want the donations to keep coming. Instead, he asked supporters still wanting to make donations to find other people and organizations that could use the help.
He said this would be his final update on the matter
He suggested local churches, regional charities, and families dealing with financial hardship as possible recipients. After the fundraiser attracted nearly $785,000 in just over a week, he felt it was time to let other people benefit from that generosity.
Zerod also added that “this will be my last update” on the matter. For now, he wants to spend time with his family and enjoy the holidays without the attention that came with becoming an internet sensation.
Published: Nov 6, 2026 03:15 pm