A woman heading home from a Halloween party stopped to call police after a vehicle crashed through an Orlando bar’s outdoor dining area. She was still wearing her banana costume when she pulled out her phone.
Stephanie Oropeza and her fiancé were near The Moderne Bar on Colonial Drive around 4 a.m. Saturday, October 24, when they saw the vehicle veer toward the restaurant, WKMG News 6 reported.
“At first we were just in shock because at first it just started off him driving on the opposite side of the road,” she said. “And then slowly he started just veering into The Moderne.”
The restaurant’s October 24 Facebook post said no one was hurt and initially described the damage as minimal. The restaurant wanted help finding the person it called an “unnamed banana hero.”
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“We have an appealing offer for them, but they split before we could thank them,” the restaurant wrote. It asked anyone who recognized the costumed caller to send a direct message.
Owner Michael Nguyen told News 6 that some people questioned whether the scene was real. “They were like, ‘Is this AI? Like, are you messing with us?’” he said. “And I was like, ‘No, no, this is really a rogue 4:30 a.m. banana just roaming the streets of Mills, just saving the day, reporting the incident.’”
“I woke up, and I looked up if anyone posted about the crash and then saw the headline was ‘banana hero,’” Oropeza said.
When News 6 asked what her superhero name would be, she answered, “Banana Bandit.” The restaurant later connected with her and thanked her with a free meal. Oropeza said she hoped the attention would encourage people to help when they see someone in need.
Nguyen’s later estimate put repairs to the custom fence alone at $30,000 to $50,000. The crash also destroyed about six tables and more than a dozen chairs, and the restaurant was still assessing the full extent of the damage.