Red Baron's "employee of the month" post about Walter E. Zerod has more than 228,000 likes on X. The prank itself happened back in August, the company says.
A Red Baron delivery worker who got pranked while stocking a grocery store freezer now has more than $706,000 raised in his name.
He also has a very public new fan, and it's the pizza company he works for.
Walter E. Zerod works direct store delivery in Michigan for Schwan's Company, the Minnesota-based frozen food maker behind Red Baron. In a video that spread online in late October, he's restocking frozen pizzas when a man walks up and asks him for the time.
The man then holds a device near Zerod's pocket, plays a fake Apple Pay sound and acts like he just took money from him.
Zerod didn't laugh. He told the man he should have been home an hour ago, that he had to be up at 5 a.m. to hit 10 more stores, and that he has four kids and a mortgage. His life, he said, is "hard enough as it is."
How much has the Red Baron worker's GoFundMe raised?
More than $706,000 as of Saturday, October 31, and it was still climbing.
The fundraiser was started Oct. 27 by Luke Oakenshield, a veteran who goes by WereTheBrews on Reddit. He had never met Zerod. He tracked him down, confirmed who he was on a video call, and made Zerod the beneficiary, saying he wouldn't keep a cent.
It raised $20,000 by Oct. 28 and passed $100,000 the next day. GoFundMe lists Zerod as the beneficiary, so the money goes to him.
When supporters learned Oakenshield had been living out of his car, they started a fundraiser for him, too.
Zerod said he was "blown away" by the support.
What did Red Baron say about the viral prank?
Red Baron answered on X on Oct. 29 with a red graphic that read, "Employee of the month nominations are closed. You know why."
The caption was even shorter: "He's still here. He's got a fan club. Including us." As of Saturday, Oct. 31, the post had more than 228,000 likes and about 6 million views.
Schwan's told the New York Post it had checked in on Zerod. He is "doing well and remains a valued member of our team," the company said, adding that the prank happened in August, months before the video took off.
What happened to the prankster's account?
It appears to be gone. The Instagram account that posted the video looks to have been deactivated, Dexerto reported.
Fake-crime pranks can land creators in real trouble. Dexerto pointed to a separate case earlier in 2026, when a TikToker pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation over a stunt of their own.
What does a direct store delivery worker do?
A lot of driving and a lot of freezer doors. Brands like Red Baron use their own delivery workers to bring product straight to grocery stores and stock it on the shelves themselves, instead of shipping everything through a store's warehouse.
That's why Zerod was the one filling the freezer case when the prankster walked up. It's also why his day doesn't end at one store, which is the part of his answer that hit home with a lot of people online.
What is Red Baron pizza?
Red Baron is one of the best-known frozen pizza brands in the country, the kind with the mustached pilot on the box. It's made by Schwan's, which is owned by South Korea's CJ CheilJedang.
Its freezer lineup runs from Classic Crust and Thin & Crispy to Deep Dish Singles, Fully Loaded hand tossed pizzas and the newer CrunchTime, which Red Baron pitches as going from box to bite in five minutes.
The name comes from the World War I flying ace. For years, the brand also sent a team of red Stearman biplanes, the Red Baron Pizza Squadron, to air shows around the country. One of those planes has been on display at the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
Dexerto (Oct. 28 to 30, 2026), prank details, Schwan's timeline, GoFundMe organizer, deactivated account
International Business Times (Oct. 31, 2026), GoFundMe totals and Zerod's quotes
New York Post (Oct. 2026), Schwan's statement
Red Baron on X (Oct. 29, 2026), employee of the month post and engagement
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