Arizona Bank Employees Rescue Food Vendor Amid Storm

Arizona bank employees acted quickly to assist a local food vendor during a severe storm. This heartening rescue was captured on video as strong winds and hail hit the Phoenix area.

The event took place at a PNC Bank branch when intense weather conditions affected Phoenix last week. The employees helped a regular neighborhood vendor caught in the storm, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.

A video shared online depicts an employee aiding the vendor, Hilario Cruz Cruz, by moving his food cart inside while wind and hail struck the region. The video rapidly gained popularity, garnering over a million views on TikTok and hundreds of thousands of likes.

“With one hand, I held the door against the strong wind blowing it, and with my other hand I pulled the cart inside. The young man was doing the same on his side. If I had been anywhere else, maybe they wouldn’t have been able to help me like that,” said Cruz Cruz in an interview with FOX 10 Phoenix through a translator.

The bank employees had been longstanding customers of Cruz Cruz, regularly purchasing food from his cart for years. He believes this connection prompted their assistance.

“They said, ‘He’s not going anywhere else. He stays here, and we’re bringing the cart inside.’ I said, ‘It won’t fit,’ but the manager said, ‘I know it will,'” he recalled.

After the storm subsided, Cruz Cruz had to navigate fallen trees and branches to reach home, remaining soaked from the ordeal.

Despite the incident, a week later, Cruz Cruz was selling elotes and fresh fruit along Peoria Avenue. Business improved notably after the video went viral.

“I deeply appreciate my long-term customers. That’s why they didn’t leave me outside,” Cruz Cruz said. “I am profoundly grateful to the bank manager and employees because, thanks to them, nothing bad happened to me.”

Fox News Digital has contacted PNC Bank for further information.