Boy surprised with shopping spree after "heartbreaking" prank
HARTFORD, Conn. (CNN/CBS) -- Over the weekend, a young boy was the victim of a mean-spirited prank. But the response from the community countered the prank's cruelty with an outpouring of kindness.
It started out as a typical trip to Target Saturday for Connecticut 8-year-old Gabe Lyles and his dad TJ. That was until three men walked up and said they were working for the YouTuber MrBeast.
"They said they wanted to do a fill-a-cart challenge where we would be blindfolded, within 30 seconds whatever we could put within the car they would pay for it," said TJ Lyles.
MrBeast is one of Gabe's favorite YouTubers. The content creator often makes challenges where he gives away free stuff, so TJ and Gabe believed that the men were working with MrBeast.
They both put on a blindfold and started filling their cart and then TJ heard the men running away.
"My heart sank. The very last thing I want to do in this world is hurt him," said TJ.
"It broke my heart because I thought my dreams were coming true," said Gabe.
The shopping cart challenge was just a mean prank. The men were not affiliated with MrBeast. And it was one comment in particular that upset TJ.
"My son leaned in and said he couldn't hear them because he had to wear hearing aids, and they said that's why we are choosing you for this challenge, because of your hearing loss," said TJ.
TJ took to Facebook to write a post about the incident and the community quickly responded.
The Southington Town Commission for Persons with Disabilities gave TJ and Gabe a $200 gift card, and Target matched it.
On Sunday, Gabe's dreams of a shopping spree came true.
"I picked out Nerf guns, water balloons, and water guns," said Gabe.
But the lesson here isn't about how quickly you can fill your cart.
"It made me feel heartwarming and happy," said Gabe.
It's about how quickly your day can change with a little kindness.
Since the incident, WFSB reporter Cassidy Williams says that MrBeast has learned about Gabe's story and has reached out to connect with the family.
