A man in Florida, while waiting for his car to charge, decided to visit a nearby gas station and cut through a patch of grass. Unbeknownst to him, that would be the end of his shoes, as he fell into a sinkhole, the final resting place for other people’s footwear.
Joshua, known online as ruizjosh1, shared the bizarre incident on TikTok. He has little to no online presence, with his only other clip showing him driving through South Africa. The grass clip went viral within days. It garnered 668,200 views, 112,900 likes, and more than 2,800 comments.
The Florida man began filming after his unexpected plunge into unknown waters. Still shaken, he explained what had occurred. When he still had his shoes on and was dry, Joshua had left his Tesla charging at a nearby station. While he waited, he decided to grab a drink at the gas station, which he promptly recorded.
Instead of taking the long way through the street, Joshua figured he could very well cut through a patch of grass and save himself some valuable minutes. But when he stepped onto the grass, he soon found himself submerged in what he thought was three feet of water. There, tragedy struck.
“I took some steps in and completely fell into it,” Joshua said. “And as I tried to get up, it ripped my shoes off, and my shoes are stuck down there, and my legs were filthy, like, up all the way to my thighs.”
The Florida man had fallen into a sinkhole. He then showed the hole he unwillingly left in the grass, which also happened to be his shoes’ new home. Joshua wasn’t the only victim, though; many shoes were spread across the faux grass, all belonging to other shortcut takers who failed miserably.
Reactions
The video sparked multiple responses, mainly from viewers who were genuinely concerned by the sinkhole. One asked, “Why isn’t there a warning sign?” Another one commented, “Call the fire department. God forbid a child comes across it. Please hold the city accountable for placing signs at the VERY least.”
Others, meanwhile, chose to have fun at Joshua’s expense. One said, “It’s croc-infested.” Another one added, “Omg it’s a shoe cemetery.” A third one quipped, “The sole survivors.”
Joshua has yet to post an update or show how his legs looked after such a plunge. If he is telling the truth, it must have been a sight to see.
