Monday, August 28, 2017
Homeless man who was paid $5 to pour hot coffee on himself in a viral video dies in a New Jersey car crash
A homeless man who drew national attention last year when a stranger asked him to pour hot coffee on himself in exchange for $5 has been killed in a car accident in New Jersey.
The Lakewood Police Department says Ronald Leggatt, 67, was walking in the left lane of Cedarbridge Avenue at 11pm on Friday when he was struck by a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche.
The driver stayed at the scene of the accident and called for help. It is unclear if he would face any charges.
At the time of his death, Leggatt was living at the Lexington Manor - a facility located a mile north of the crash scene that houses people suffering from mental health problems.
Until 2014, Leggatt had been living in a homeless encampment in Lakewood known as 'Tent City.'
Leggatt's plight made national headlines in January 2016 when a video emerged on social media showing a man who looked to be in his 20s handing him a $5 bill so he could pour hot coffee on him and videotape his reaction.
Leggatt, who had been living on the streets of Lakewood for years, said at the time that he accepted the offer because he needed the money, even though he sensed that he was being mocked by the stranger.
He poured the scorching-hot beverage on his head, and when the stranger repeated his offer, Leggatt did it a second time, leaving him with burns.
A bystander who witnessed the interaction confronted the cruel prankster, who purportedly told him it was not uncommon to pull pranks on the homeless, and that there are videos on YouTube that show other people paying vagrants for hurting themselves.
Facebook users who read the bystander's account of the incident on the social media site demanded that the Lakewood Police Department look into the incident.
Soon, cops had located not only Leggatt, but the man who offered him the sick deal as well.
However, police decided that since Leggatt voluntarily poured the coffee on his head, no charges would be filed.
Members of the local Hasidic community, of which the prankster was a member, later forced him to apologize to Leggatt on camera.
'I'm sorry about what happened,' he said, hugging the homeless man, but kept his back to the camera. He also gave him $20. 'If you want to get me back and pour the coffee on my head, you can do that.'
Leggart looked embarrassed at the offer and turned him down.
The town's Orthodox Jewish leaders also paid for Leggatt to get a haircut and bread trim, bought him clothes and put him up in a hotel for the weekend.
The San Francisco 49ers later learned that Leggatt was wearing an old jacket with the team's insignia on it in the viral video and sent him a box filled with new 49ers clothing and accessories.
Leggatt was a father-of-two who worked as a jockey and horse trainer at Freehold Raceway, but his life was derailed after he was hit by a car and suffered a brain injury, according to Steve Brigham, a New Jersey homeless advocate.
Those who knew him said that despite his financial woes and struggles, Leggatt was remarkbely upbeat and positive.
Cindy Lanouette, who first met Laggett while assisting in the managemtn ofg 'Tent City,' shared some kind words with DailyMail.com about the deceased man.
'He defines the True character of a gentleman,' she wrote in an email. 'And If Ron only know the impact he made on people...'
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