Key Takeaways
- The prank: An Instagram account called ThreeOfAKind filmed a fake $10 Apple Pay theft from a Red Baron worker stocking pizzas in a Meijer store. The account has since been deleted.
- The Red Baron worker's GoFundMe: It reached $605,350 from 16,720 donors by Friday evening, October 30, up from about $5,500 on Wednesday afternoon. Its top listed donors are Vivek and Apoorva Ramaswamy, at $38,000, and Higgsfield AI, at $30,000.
- The employer: Red Baron said he still works there and posted that employee of the month nominations are closed.
- The catch: A study of more than 437,000 medical GoFundMe campaigns found only 12% met their goals in 2020, Newsweek reported.
A GoFundMe for a Red Baron worker known as Walt Z reached $605,350 on Friday, October 30, 2026, days after a video showed an Instagram prankster faking a $10 Apple Pay theft from him as he stocked frozen pizzas. By WYDE's arithmetic, that is about 60,000 times the $10.
What the Red Baron Prank Video Shows
The video came from an Instagram account called ThreeOfAKind (@thea.ctiveworld), according to TNND. In it, someone asks the worker for the time in a Meijer store, then plays a chime when he takes out his phone and claims to have taken $10, WOOD TV reported.
"It's not a joke to me, OK? I don't have time for this crap in my life," the worker, Walt Z, said. He said his kids had gone to bed without him, that he should have been home an hour earlier and that he had to get up at 5 a.m. for 10 more stores. He also said he could not pay his mortgage and had four children at home, Newsweek reported.
"I'm sorry, bro, chill. We're just filming a video. It was just a joke," the person filming for ThreeOfAKind said, according to TNND. The account has since been deleted, and none of the reports WYDE read carries a response from the people behind it.
How the Red Baron Worker's GoFundMe Reached $600,000
Luke Oakenshield of Arizona, who did not know the worker, started the fundraiser, The Detroit News reported. It stood at about $5,500 on Wednesday afternoon, before large accounts including the conservative commentator Benny Johnson shared it, Newsweek reported.
The page's top donor list starts with $38,000 under the names Vivek and Apoorva Ramaswamy, the names of Ohio's Republican nominee for governor and his wife, and $30,000 from Higgsfield AI, an AI video startup valued at $5.4 billion in August. AOL also reported the Higgsfield gift. WYDE could not independently confirm the Ramaswamy listing and found no public statement about either donation.
By WYDE's arithmetic, $605,350 from 16,720 donors averages about $36. Those two gifts are about 11% of the total, and the other donors average about $32.
Red Baron's Response and the Stranger Behind the Fundraiser
Commenters feared he could lose his job. On October 29 Red Baron posted a graphic saying employee of the month nominations were closed, with the words "He's still here. He's got a fan club. Including us." A representative of Red Baron's maker, Schwan, told The Post that he is doing well and remains part of the team, TNND reported.
"I wanted to take a moment to personally thank everyone who has donated, shared this fundraiser or left a kind message," Walt Z wrote on the page, adding that he has been keeping things private to protect his family. At that request, WYDE uses only the name on the fundraiser.
The stranger has a story too. Oakenshield is a homeless veteran sleeping in his car, according to a fundraiser his friend Dom Certalic set up for him, TMZ reported. That one had raised $19,810 from 548 donors by Friday evening.
Why Most GoFundMe Appeals Do Not End This Way
A Newsweek column argued that the worker got lucky. A study of more than 437,000 medical GoFundMe campaigns found that in 2020 only 12% met their goals and 16% received nothing, the column noted, and GoFundMe's own 2025 review found essential-expense fundraising up 20%, with monthly bills the second-fastest-growing category. This fundraiser is filed under rent, food and monthly bills.
The money moved with attention. The page stood at about $5,500 until large accounts pointed their followers at it, the same mechanic that rewards a prank in the first place. Related WYDE coverage: Creators Are Becoming a Major Fundraising Engine for Nonprofits.
People Also Ask
What happened to the Red Baron worker?
A video showed an Instagram prankster faking a $10 Apple Pay theft from a Red Baron worker stocking pizzas in a Meijer store. The worker, known as Walt Z, said he could not pay his mortgage and had four children at home.
How much has the Red Baron worker's GoFundMe raised?
The Red Baron worker's GoFundMe had raised $605,350 from 16,720 donors by Friday evening, October 30, 2026, against a $700,000 goal. The total is still moving.
Who are the top donors to the Red Baron worker's GoFundMe?
The top donations listed on the Red Baron worker's GoFundMe are $38,000 under the names Vivek and Apoorva Ramaswamy and $30,000 from Higgsfield AI, an AI video startup. WYDE could not independently confirm the Ramaswamy listing.
Did Red Baron fire the worker?
No. Red Baron posted on October 29 that he is still here, and a representative of its maker, Schwan, told The Post he remains part of the team, TNND reported.
Who started the Red Baron worker's GoFundMe?
Luke Oakenshield of Arizona, who did not know the worker, started it. A friend's fundraiser describes Oakenshield as a homeless veteran sleeping in his car, TMZ reported.
Sources: GoFundMe, WOOD TV, The Detroit News, TNND, Newsweek, AOL, TMZ, The Next Web.