CATONSVILLE, Md. — It began with a tip jar theft and ended with a hug. A now-viral full circle moment.
Hot dog stand owner and live-streamer Musa Sarac, who goes by “MUSA_USA” where he streams live on Twitch, went viral for a clip of a man stealing about $30 from his tip jar. He also live streams and shares videos from his life and business, Musa Steak and Dogs, on Kik and TikTok.
Kindness goes viral: Mother returns tip jar money son stole
Money returned after viral tip jar theft
“[I] let him to go. We don’t know what’s going on, I don’t like to be fight[ing] then I let him to go, then I didn’t know what I’m going to do,” Sarac said.
Sarac filed a police report but said that the officer on scene couldn’t do much.
What happened next, he never expected.
PART 2 : “I want to pay you back because you don’t deserve to be stolen from.”
‘You don’t deserve to be stolen from’
A few days later the mother of that man, Pastor Tonya Gray, came to the stand at Johnny Cake Road and Ingleside Avenue with some money and a big apology.
“My son wasn’t raised like that. My son drinks, and when he drinks, he does stupid stuff,” Gray said. “I want to pay you back because you don’t deserve to be stolen from.”
Gray shared that her son is now getting the help he needs.
She also sat down with WMAR-2 News to share more of her story.
“When my oldest was murdered in 2013, my son was a teenager. But if the 9 or 10-year-old doesn’t handle that trauma, the 26-year-old becomes the alcoholic,” Gray said. “When my son is not drinking, he’s a whole different person, heart as big as all of the world.”
She wants other parents to hear this message.
“If your child is showing signs of any kind of trauma, any PTSD, any depression, you need to address it,” Gray said. “You don’t throw away an addict, you address the addiction, you don’t ignore a child, you continue to be a mother. He’s trouble, but he’s not trash.”
Taylor Epps
Taken aback with emotions, Sarac gave Gray a hug. The heart-warming moment all caught on live stream.
”I love her. She’s good,” Sarac told WMAR-2 News. “They don’t need to be avoiding or feel bad… I would love to be family with them.”
It’s since brought even more attention to his small stand. Inspiring first-time customers like Ayisha Paige-Randall to check it out.
“Seeing how his personality is and everything like that, why wouldn’t you want to support someone who has a good heart?” she said.
Surprisingly, the attention is a lot even for Sarac, who live streams his entire life practically 24/7.
“I don’t want to be too much famous. Just simple life. I’m happy in my simple life,” he said.
