Unthinkable Turn: Detroit Grandfather Rewarded $100K for Viral Good Deed Ends Up Hogtied in Scorched SUV

A 60-year-old man’s inspiring good deed that was caught on camera launched him to brief Internet stardom last month. Now, he’s in the news again, but this time for a bizarre incident in which he says he was kidnapped and hog-tied and left for dead.

Curtis Dixon was the subject of a viral TikTok video when he played the role of a good Samaritan for an influencer, Zach Dereniowski, better known as MD Motivator. Dereniowski has gained recognition for covertly recording strangers performing small acts of kindness and later rewarding them with thousands of dollars.

One of Dereniowski’s videos captured the moment Dixon helped the influencer last month when Dereniowski pretended to be a blind man in need of assistance.

In need of money to pay his light bill, Dixon was on his way to pawn his wedding ring when he came across Dereniowski. After exchanging the ring for $140, he gave some of that money to Dereniowski.

During Dereniowski’s big reveal that he wasn’t blind, he gave Dixon $1,000 that day, causing the 60-year-old to break out in tears.

@mdmotivator

“God told me to help you” 🥹❤️ (GoFundMe 1N B10) #money #homeless #wedding #kindness #married Internet meet Curtis. Curtis is a 61 year old husband and father from Detroit, Michigan. Curtis was in the midst of pawning his wedding ring in hopes to pay his light bill to keep his lights in his home on, which shut off the day before. Although he was going through a tough financial circumstance, Curtis helped me with some of the money he made from pawning his wedding ring. When I asked him why he was helping a complete stranger, he told me, “God told me to do so. To feel something for you, I don’t have to know you”. Let’s all come together and show Curtis and his family the power of the internet and bless them. 100% of the funds raised will go to paying Curtis’ living expenses. Be kind and love always ❤️

♬ original sound – Zachery Dereniowski

A few days later, he met with Dixon again to give him $100,000 that he raised from people around the world who were moved by Dixon’s generosity.

She Offered a Blanket to a Stranger. What Happened Next Left a Homeless Mom in Detroit Sobbing with Relief

Dereniowski also gave him $5,000 of his own money as well as a brand-new car in the presence of Dixon’s wife and two grandchildren.

@mdmotivator

“I got $100,000 dollars for you” 🥹❤️ #money #kindness #surprise #family #car Thank you to everyone who watched Part 1, liked, commented, shared, and donated to Curtis and his family. YOU changed his life. YOU changed the life of his wife. YOU changed the life and trajectory of his grand babies. Thank YOU for being the change, the difference. Without YOU, none of this would ever be possible. Be kind and love always ❤️

♬ original sound – Zachery Dereniowski

But that heartwarming gift was just eclipsed by a strange turn of events.

Only a week and a half after Dixon was rewarded the money and car, he was reportedly found tied up in a scorched SUV on Detroit’s east side.

According to WJBK, Dixon claimed that he met someone in the area of Mt. Elliot and Nevada who abducted him, then forced him to withdraw cash from multiple ATMs. Dixon said the kidnapper then beat him, tied him up, and set his car on fire with him inside.

Sources told the news outlet there are some inconsistencies in Dixon’s story.

Local police have turned over the investigation to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and federal agents are investigating the incident as possible arson, kidnapping, and extortion.

Authorities say that Dixon is currently “lying low” at an undisclosed location.