Dad Decides To Fake His Own Death Before Surprising Family Attending His Funeral By Arriving In A Helicopter

Jun 21, 2023

In a shocking turn of events, a father who is a popular Belgian TikTok star faked his own death and then surprised his family by arriving in a helicopter at his own funeral. David Baerten's stunt garnered widespread attention and sparked mixed reactions online.

Known as @ragnar_le_fou on the video-sharing platform, Baerten boasts over 166,000 followers on TikTok. He orchestrated the elaborate prank to test the true affection and care of his family members. 

According to The Times of London, Baerten expressed feeling unappreciated and excluded from family gatherings, leading him to devise this unconventional plan. He enlisted the help of his wife and children to execute the prank, involving them in the planning process. 

One of his daughters even took to TikTok, sharing a heartfelt tribute to her late father, expressing her grief and love for him. She had a litany of sentiments, expressing that life was so unfair for taking her father away when he had a whole life to enjoy ahead of him. 

The staged funeral, held near the city of Liège, attracted a large gathering of friends and family dressed in mourning attire. As the ceremony was about to commence, the attendees were taken by surprise when a helicopter descended upon the funeral grounds.

Baerten, accompanied by a camera crew, emerged from the helicopter and addressed the bewildered guests. The emotional moment was captured on video and shared on TikTok on June 11, 2023, which quickly gained nearly 500,000 likes. 

A second video, uploaded alongside his grand entrance, showed family members in tears after realizing that Baerten was still alive. The video received more than 1.5 million views. 

"What I see in my family often hurts me," Baerten revealed, per the New York Post. "I never get invited to anything. Nobody sees me. We all grew apart. I felt unappreciated,” he added.

“That’s why I wanted to give them a life lesson and show them that you shouldn’t wait until someone is dead to meet up with them."

Reactions from the attendees were mixed, with some rushing to embrace Baerten, feeling relieved and overjoyed by his unexpected return from the dead. Others were left confused and unsure of how to react to the unprecedented situation.

Reflecting on the outcome, Baerten stated that only half of his family members showed up, further reinforcing his belief about the level of care and consideration he receives from them. However, he acknowledged that some loved ones have reached out to him since the prank, proving that they do genuinely care.

The TikTok star's stunt has sparked a debate online, with many questioning the ethics and emotional impact of such a prank. Critics argue that playing with emotions in such a manner is cruel and could strain relationships further. Meanwhile, supporters view it as an attention-grabbing lesson on the importance of staying connected and appreciating loved ones while they are still alive.

"Now we know why people didn’t like him," one TikTok follower said in the comments. "So true. Pathetic stunt. Even if I did like him, no chance I would be talking to him again after that," another commenter said. 

"I could never put my family through that," another TikTok user said, while many commenters also observed that Baerten has quite the ego for pulling this prank. 

The spectacle at the funeral is likely to leave a lasting impression on all those involved and those who saw it online. But do you understand the dad's reason for doing it? What can you say about this prank? Pass this story along to someone who might have some strong reactions about it as well!