‘Man, I got you’: Heroic NYC bystander saves a stranger from getting a parking ticket in a genius yet simple way

A random act of kindness can go a long way and you might not even realize it. A viral video on TikTok saw a man save a stranger from getting a ticket, and it’s genius yet oh so simple.

The 15-second clip, posted by J Hami, has managed to amass just under 100 million views and 12 million likes in nine days which is certainly an impressive feat. Sometimes good deeds don’t get rewarded — but sometimes they do as this guy is now certified viral. 

So what does the man behind the camera do when he sees a NYC parking warden about to give a ticket to an old beat-up Mercedes? It’s easy, really, he simply tells the warden that the car belongs to him and the dude backs off without putting a ticket on the vehicle or anything. He might refer to himself as “just a normal guy in nyc” in his TikTok bio, but I know a real life hero when I see one.

I want to try this but I feel like the guy got very lucky here — knowing my luck the parking warden would wait to see me get in the car and when I don’t he’d ticket the vehicle and then arrest me for obstructing an officer of traffic — I’ve heard it’s a life sentence for such an offense. I’m also curious to know what would happen if the warden was randomly scrolling TikTok and he stumbled upon this video.

Anyways, in this case it all paid off. Maybe it was Hami’s confidence and charm that convinced the warden he was telling the truth or maybe it was something else. Either way someone out there was saved a hefty fine thanks to a random guy on TikTok.

Mr. J Hami showed us all what it means to be a real hero and there are tons upon tons of comments, (over 20k!) underneath the video commending him for his selfless act.

ur actually the goat these nyc traffic cops be relentless

you know with a car like that, bro is really struggling. You saved him/her big time!!

You are a real MVP.

Of course, the story could end there, a little act of kindness to bring some positivity to the end of the week — but there’s more. In a second part he reveals that the car was still parked outside and it is now missing a tire so he leaves his contact details hoping the guy will reach out — and he does! 

Posting another follow-up vid we see Hami shaking hands with the Mercedes driver, showing him the original viral video and getting his reaction on camera. But wait, there’s even more! Clearly feeling altruistic Hami even offers some money to help the owner out, “I’m not Mr. Beast or anything, but I want to help you out with what I can, and I got $300 for you.” Seriously, where is this guy when I get parking tickets? I think we all need a guardian angel like him.