Did Karoline Leavitt, Barron Trump, Patrick Mahomes, Dawn Staley, Connor McDavid and many others all surprise a high school janitor with an SUV for his long years of service? No, that's not true: Several clickbait sites use pictures of unrelated janitors and names of famous people to trick people into liking and sharing a story with fake details. Many of the articles seem to be inspired by a real event from 2024 where students in Virginia crowdfunded a car for their school's janitor.
One example of such an an article (archived here) appeared on March 25, 2025 under a headline that read "Karoline Leavitt Surprises High School Janitor With SUV, What Happened Next Will Leave You In Tears". It opened:
In a world where good deeds often go unnoticed, an extraordinary act of kindness by Karoline Leavitt has captured hearts worldwide. The young politician and former congressional candidate recently made headlines for her selfless generosity when she surprised a beloved high school janitor with a brand-new red Jeep Wrangler. The moment, filled with raw emotions and gratitude, left everyone in tears and reminded us all of the power of appreciation.
An Unsung Hero's Daily Struggles
For years, Mr. John Mwakaba, a dedicated janitor at a local high school, had been silently battling immense challenges. Originally from Kenya, he immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life and worked tirelessly to provide for his family. Known for his warm smile, hard work, and unwavering commitment, John became a cherished figure within the school community. He would arrive before dawn to ensure the hallways gleamed and stayed late into the evening, never once complaining about the weight of his responsibilities.
However the image used with the story did not show "Mr. John Mwakaba":
It showed Francis Apraku, a high school janitor in Virigia, who was indeed gifted an SUV by the school's students in 2024, as ABC reported (archived here):
A group of Virginia high school students teamed up to surprise their school custodian with a new car this week, after raising over $20,000 in just three months.
Francis Apraku, a custodian at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia, received the surprise on Sept. 9 in the parking lot of the Vienna Inn, a local restaurant, which shared the reveal in an Instagram reel on Sept. 10.
This is the Instagram reel in question (archived here):
Another version of the story on the same site (archived here) and one on another site (archived here) named the janitor as "James Willis" and used this photo instead:
But this 2023 Jacksonville.com article (archived here) described it as: "Longtime custodian Kenneth Bruce wheels his mop bucket at Alden Road Exceptional Student Center in this 2015 photo. Bob Mack/Florida Times-Union".
Other versions of the story sometimes used the same photos but varied the donor of the car:
- Dawn Staley Surprises High School Janitor with SUV, What Happened Next Will Leave You in Tears (archived here)
- Barron Trump Surprises High School Janitor with SUV, What Happened Next Will Leave You in Tears (archived here)
- Connor McDavid Surprises High School Janitor with SUV, What Happened Next Will Leave You in Tears (archived here)
- Patrick Mahomes Surprises High School Janitor with SUV, What Happened Next Will Leave You in Tears (archived here)
Don't fall for these stories, when you find out they are false it will only leave you in tears!
