A TikToker has gone viral after his tour of an abandoned Publix went off the rails.
In the clip, Nick Kratka (@nick_kratka) takes viewers around a "completely abandoned" Publix mall in South Florida, which he says was "completely torn apart" by a recent tornado, seemingly during the recent Hurricane Milton. At the time of writing, the video has amassed 986,600 views.
Describing the place as "post-apocalyptic," he detailed areas like the former sub sandwich station and pointed out things like the collapsed roof and debris.
"You can't even get over all the debris. It's like, terrifying in here," he added. "This stuff can all fall on me at any minute, so I should probably get out of here."
Kratka then goes on to point out the wires near puddles of water. "If I die, it's natural selection at this point," he joked before somberly adding, "I've never filmed anything like this: This is chilling."
Then, a male voice can be heard shouting in the background. It becomes apparent that Kratka isn't alone anymore. With the camera still in his hand, Kratka says, "If I'm not being detained, I gotta go" before sprinting off. "I'm much faster than them," he adds.
The rest of the footage shows Kafka running away until he dives into his car and drives off. According to him, he didn't break the law because there weren't any "no trespassing" signs. However, trespassing doesn't depend on a sign; it depends on someone owning the building. As FindLaw points out, if someone owns the building, you could face both criminal charges and a civil lawsuit.
The TikTok comments featured a wide range of opinions. While one commenter noted that the store looked "evacuated for years," another took issue with Kratka asking for donations to restore the store, saying that Publix was "more than fine."
A third commenter asked, "Why would they come for you when a tornado hit, don’t they have anything better to do?"
Krakta didn't immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok comment.
@nick_kratka Donate if you can, we need help. #florida #southflorida #milton ♬ original sound - Nick Kratka
Kratka is well known for his subversive videos. His TikTok account, which has 7.5 million followers, initially blew up after Kratka made popular, relatable skits about going to the dentist. This led to him amassing a lot of online fame, but since then, his videos have become a little more risky.
Last year, for instance, he made headlines after eating live tapeworms. However, eating these parasites was no accident. After catching a sea bass, he noticed it was full of tapeworms but decided to eat it anyway.
“When I went to the doctor, he said there is a high likelihood of the worms spreading to my eyes and brain, which would kill me if I didn’t act fast," he said in an interview. However, despite this, he said he had "no regrets" and added, "I will continue extreme eating as long as I’m alive.”
Representatives for Krakta and Publix didn't immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok comment and email.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post ‘This is chilling’: Man tries to show what’s in an abandoned Publix. It backfires when he realizes he’s not alone appeared first on The Daily Dot.
