January 15, 2026
A driver out of South Bend, Indiana, was gifted a new car after his wrecked pickup truck went viral.
A South Bend, Indiana, driver was gifted a new car after a photo of his battered pickup truck went viral, sparking a wave of community donations.
Marcellus Riles cried tears of joy after being gifted a shiny 2019 Chevrolet Silverado last month, with help from Gates Chevy and Car Guys Professional Auto Detailing, WNDU reports. The replacement comes after Car Guys’ owner, Colin Crowel, saw a now-viral photo of Riles’ original truck, which had a tilted body, a dangling taillight, and damage on both sides.
Moved by the driver’s story, Crowel started a GoFundMe that raised $10,000 in just 48 hours and topped $20,000 by the time Riles got his new car.“
“This whole thing is not about me. It’s about this community bonding together. God is good,” Riles said.
Riles, a part-time cashier on South Bend’s south side, had been safely driving his beat-up truck when locals started snapping photos and videos of it. After seeing a post about the vehicle, Crowel rallied the community to help.
“I made a post that same night on social media and said to my friends and acquaintances, business partners, saying, ‘Hey, if I did this, would I have some backing from the community? And it was a resounding yes. Everybody wanted to do this,” Crowel said.
The campaign launched just before last month’s Giving Tuesday, which Crowel said felt especially fitting.
“Yesterday was Giving Tuesday. I had no idea it was Giving Tuesday until someone called me and told me it was,” he said. “And so, it was kind of a Christmas miracle, so to speak, that it fell on the right day at the right time to the right person.”
Riles was deeply grateful after hearing the campaign raised more than $10,000 in just two days.
“Oh, my Jesus. In two days. Oh, wow. Wow. This is just overwhelming. When my neighbor told me, I just cried. And I’m holding back tears now,” Riles said. “And I’m just so thankful. And there’s not a word for the gratitude. That I want to share with everybody. Thoughts and emotions. Thank you so much.”
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