Traffic warden goes viral after getting ‘life changing’ donation from TikToker & fans

A traffic warden has gone viral after she became the subject of a TikToker’s charitable video, which led to his fans donating over $50,000 to her. 

If you’ve scrolled through TikTok for a few minutes or hours, you’ve more than likely come across a video where someone is giving away money or something to a random stranger. 

That was the case in Zachery Dereniwoki’s May 15 video as he was looking to take to a Detroit Tigers baseball game. He offered traffic warden Linita Edge the chance to buy his jersey for just $1, and she accepted. Just she didn’t know if she could get off work early to go. 

After consulting with her boss, Zach got things sorted out, and even gave her $500 on top of the free ticket. That was enough to have Linita tearing up, noting that things were financially tight at home. Though, it got even crazier. 

That initial clip picked up over 10.6 million views at the time of writing, and attracted the attention of both Zach’s fans and the Detroit community. 

As a result, they pitched in a further $50,000 to a GoFundMe that the TikToker had set up for her, and she was presented with a cheque at a Tigers game. Upon hearing the figure, Linita dropped to her knees in disbelief, again tearing up, and letting out a “Thank God!” in the process. 

She even got to appear on CBS Detroit, noting that the interaction with the TikToker “was like he was on a heavenly sent assignment,” before adding, “Who knew a t-shirt would change my life?”

The follow-up clip, where Linita was presented with the cheque, has amassed over 6.4 million itself, with thousands of fans being moved by the situation. 

“Of all people, I’m glad she’s receiving these blessings,” said one. “I love her!” added another. “She deserves this! Her reponse about her kids was everything!” commented another. 

As it stands, the GoFundMe is still taking in donations despite smashing its $50,000 goal and Linita is back on the job, directing traffic in Detroit.