A man has said he faked his own death to give his family and loved ones a ‘life lesson’ after feeling ‘unappreciated’.
However, the man has admitted some regret over the prank. David Baerten, 45, turned up to his ‘funeral’ in a helicopter leaving his loved ones shocked.
A video shared to TikTok appears to show the moment, and it’s sparked a very mixed reaction from users.
Man who faked his death
The video was posted by TikTok user Thomas Faut, who apparently attended the ceremony. It showed a helicopter landing in a field before the door opens. It then cuts to a clip of people surrounding David, hugging and greeting him.
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.
The caption read: “You got us, we love you my friend, we are glad you are among us.”
The staged funeral reportedly took place near Liege, Belgium, last week. David’s daughter had even paid tribute to her father on social media. However, it’s claimed this was to spread the message of his ‘death’.
It reportedly read: “Rest in peace, Daddy. I will never stop thinking about you. Why is life so unfair? Why you? You were going to be a grandfather and you still had your whole life ahead of you. I love you! We love you! We will never forget you.”
David said he told his wife and daughter the truth about the stunt and they helped him pull it off.
The Times reports that in a video explaining the stunt on social media, David said he felt “unappreciated”. During an appearance on French chat show Touche Pas a Mon Poste (TPMP), he said he did the stunt to give his loved ones a “life lesson” to show them “you have to love people when they’re alive”.
However, he also admitted regret over the prank.
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David said it was “too late” to cancel the stunt after he received messages from people and videos of them crying. He then admitted he regrets “certain things” to do with the stunt. David also apologised to those who were hurt by the prank. He then hit out at “death threats” he has reportedly received because of the prank.
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