Man behind the viral South Bend pickup truck can soon get new ride thanks to community support

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A beat-up pickup truck driving and parked around the south side of South Bend has caught the attention of many and gone viral on social media in recent weeks.

People started posting pictures, logging its latest locations, admiring its resilience, and poking fun at its broken-down condition.

The truck belongs to a man named Marcellus Riles, or "Mo", who works at a local dollar store on the south side.

"I was oblivious to it," says Riles.

Mo didn't know his truck had become locally Facebook-viral.

"My neighbor showed it to me; I thought it was an early April Fools thing," he admits.

The story behind the condition of Mo's truck is simple; he says he got hit a lot in his last three years of owning it.

But he took some mechanic classes back in high school and college, so he knows how to fix it up.

It might not be the prettiest, but it runs well, and it's been getting him to and from work at the local dollar store.

"There are work trucks, and there are trucks that work. And this one works," says Mo.

Mo acknowledges his good ol' Chevy is on its last legs but because of some mounting health issues, replacing it hasn't been a priority.

However, that's been more of a thought for the people who drive by taking and posting pictures of it, like Colin Crowel.

"I kind of thought to myself 'Boy, what if we actually got together and got him a new vehicle,'" says Colin Crowel, owner of CarGuys Auto Detailing in Osceola.

In the car business himself, Crowel knows how important a safe vehicle is.

So, he turned the online jokes about Mo's truck into action by starting a GoFundMe on Monday, raising nearly four thousand dollars in one day.

And local dealerships are reaching out to help.

"The goal to get him in a newer, more reliable vehicle, I set it at ten thousand," explains Crowel. "I'd like to cover his insurance for a year, his plates, and if there's leftover money, we'd love to pay for his fuel, we can go load up on a bunch of gas cards."

Crowel was inspired by seeing Mo's unwavering commitment to show up to work every day.

"I think that's what really impacted me the most was knowing that it was a primary driver to get someone to their responsibilities," says Crowel.

He can't wait for the day Mo gets to pick out his new car, and neither can Mo.

"This is so overwhelming because I never saw this coming," says Mo. " I appreciate you noticing me and thank you."

Crowel says hopefully within the next two weeks, they will be able to get Mo into his new ride.

Click this link to visit the GoFundMe.