Stephanie Oropeza woke up to discover she had become a viral sensation.
The Florida woman, who had spent the early hours of Saturday morning in a banana costume, found headlines calling her a “banana hero” after she helped report a car crash in Orlando’s Mills 50 district. Oropeza and her fiancé were heading home from a Halloween party around 4 a.m. When they witnessed a driver crash into The Moderne Bar, causing extensive damage.
“At first we were just in shock,” Oropeza said of seeing the driver initially “driving on the opposite side of the road” before slowly “veering” into the bar.
The collision destroyed six tables and dozens of chairs. Michael Nguyen, owner of The Moderne, estimated that repairing the custom fence alone could cost up to $50,000, with total damage reaching at least that amount. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident.
What transformed the routine accident into internet gold was the video of Oropeza calling for help while still dressed as a giant banana. Nguyen posted the clip online, where viewers struggled to process what they were seeing.
“They were like, ‘Is this AI? Like, are you messing with us?'” Nguyen said of the public reaction.
“And I was like, ‘No, no, this is really a rogue 4:30 a.m. Banana just roaming the streets of Mills, just saving the day, reporting the incident.'”
Oropeza said she realized she had quickly ascended to internet fame the next morning.
“I woke up and I looked up if anyone posted about the crash and then see the headline is ‘banana hero,'” she said.
The restaurant eventually tracked Oropeza down to express their gratitude, thanking her with a free meal.
“It feels nice,” Oropeza said. “And I hope this all just can spread a better message that if you see someone in need.”
The Orlando Police Department has not released additional details about the crash or any potential charges against the driver.