Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 30

PNC Bank Employees Rescue Phoenix Vendor as Storm Video Tops 1 Million TikTok Views

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 30

PNC Bank Employees Rescue Phoenix Vendor as Storm Video Tops 1 Million TikTok Views

Q: How did years of customer loyalty lead PNC employees to save a Phoenix vendor’s cart during a violent monsoon storm?

Years of loyalty made Hilario Cruz Cruz more than just a vendor to the PNC staff; he was a familiar part of their daily routine, and that recognition drove them to act when the monsoon turned dangerous. Cruz Cruz said employees at the Phoenix branch had been buying elotes and fresh fruit from him for years. When powerful wind and hail hit, the workers immediately recognized him outside and decided not to leave him exposed. Video from inside the branch shows staff helping pull his customized cart indoors while Cruz Cruz held the door against the wind. He said he initially doubted the cart would fit through the entrance, but the bank manager insisted it would and told employees to bring it inside. According to Cruz Cruz, staff made clear they were determined to help because he was their longtime vendor and regular presence near the branch. That quick decision mattered because the storm was severe, bringing strong winds, hail and debris across the area. Cruz Cruz later said he still went home soaked and had to navigate fallen branches and trees, but his cart — central to his livelihood — was protected. In Cruz Cruz’s account, the rescue happened because a long customer relationship had built trust and familiarity. The employees were not helping a stranger; they were helping someone they knew well, and he believes that is why “nothing bad happened” to him or his cart.

Q: After a viral bank rescue brought Hilario Cruz Cruz 1 million TikTok views, how much did the storm change his business?

The storm — and especially the viral rescue video afterward — appears to have helped Hilario Cruz Cruz’s business noticeably. By his own account, business was “strong” and “booming” in the week after the clip spread online and passed 1 million views on TikTok. The reporting does not give hard sales numbers, so the exact size of the increase is unclear. But the available evidence points to a meaningful bump in customer traffic and attention rather than a minor change. Cruz Cruz was back selling elotes and fresh fruit along Peoria Avenue within a week, and local coverage said the online exposure translated into stronger daily business. Just as important, the episode seems to have reinforced the customer relationships he had already built. Cruz Cruz said the bank workers had been buying from him for years, and that loyalty likely both prompted the rescue and helped fuel the positive attention afterward. So while there is no precise revenue figure, the best-supported answer is that the storm itself was dangerous, but the rescue video significantly boosted visibility and led to a clear short-term surge in business.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 30

Video from a Phoenix PNC branch shows employees pulling food vendor Hilario Cruz Cruz and his cart indoors as strong winds and hail slammed the area last week.
Cruz Cruz said he and a bank worker fought the wind from opposite sides of the door, while the manager insisted the cart could fit inside and kept him from being stranded outside.
The vendor said the employees were longtime customers who had bought from his cart for years, a relationship he believes drove them to step in during the storm.
More than 1 million TikTok views later, Cruz Cruz was back selling elotes and fresh fruit on Peoria Avenue within a week, saying business has surged since the rescue went viral.