Nearly $600,000 raised for Michigan worker after viral pizza incident

A Michigan grocery store worker has received nearly $600,000 from an online fundraiser following a viral video of his reaction to a prank. The incident occurred at a Meijer store where Walt Z. was working as a Red Baron Pizza employee. He was stocking pizzas when the interaction took place.

Footage shows a man approaching Walt and playing a sound that mimics an Apple Pay transaction. The prankster told Walt that he had taken $10 via the worker's cellphone. Walt appeared visibly shaken and told the man, "Listen dude, I'm not in the mood for this crap right now. You think this is funny, don't you?"

Walt said he was going to report the prankster before speaking with other store employees. He then confronted the man and swore at him. The prankster insisted the situation was minor, saying, "It's not that deep, man..It's just a joke, bro, it's just a joke."

Walt explained his stress levels during the encounter. "My life is hard enough as it is. I don't need this crap. I got kids at home that went to bed without me right now, and I was supposed to be home an hour ago, and I'm still out here working," he said. "And I got to get up at five in the morning and do 10 more stores, so this is not a joke to me."

The prankster apologized repeatedly, but Walt questioned the man's sincerity. Walt noted that the prankster appeared to be smirking. He added, "You're probably making money off of this, and I can't even pay my godda, mortgage, and I got four kids at home."

The video gained traction on social media, where many viewers expressed support for the worker. One commenter wrote, "I'm with WALT," while another added, "God bless the working man." Red Baron Pizza also shared the story on its social media pages, stating that Walt is still with the company and that he has a fan club. The company added that employee of the month nominations were closed because everyone knew the reason.