An SUV tore through a Florida restaurant’s patio, then surveillance video captured a giant banana running toward the wreck

A Florida woman dressed in a banana costume has gone viral after she helped report a car crash outside an Orlando restaurant. Stephanie Oropeza contacted police after witnessing an SUV smash into The Moderne Bar’s outdoor dining area while she was heading home from a Halloween party.

As first reported by News 6, the crash happened around 4 AM on Saturday, October 24, as Oropeza and her fiancé were driving through Orlando. They saw a black SUV veer onto the wrong side of the road before it crashed into the restaurant’s patio, destroying several tables and chairs and striking a cement planter.

Nobody was injured in the crash, though the patio was damaged. Oropeza said she was in shock at first, seeing the driver on the wrong side of the road before the vehicle slowly veered into The Moderne.

The restaurant went looking for its banana hero

Security footage captured the crash, along with Oropeza standing outside in her banana costume as she spoke to police. The Moderne later shared the footage on Instagram, asking the public to help identify the costumed witness.

The restaurant said it was grateful no one was hurt and that damage was minimal, before adding that it was “looking for this unnamed banana hero.” It also wrote, “We have an appealing offer for them, but they split before we could thank them.”

The video quickly went viral, with some viewers questioning whether the banana-costumed woman was real. Owner Michael Nguyen said people asked if it was AI, and he responded, “No, no, this is really a rogue 4:30 AM banana just roaming the streets of Mills, just saving the day, reporting the incident.”

Nguyen was in Japan with his fiancée when he got the call about the crash. He estimated that repairing the exterior fence alone could cost up to $50,000, and he is considering adding more safety barriers outside the building.

Once Oropeza was identified, The Moderne thanked her for reporting the incident and treated her to a free meal. Oropeza joked that her superhero name should be the “Banana Bandit.” Her story spread online in the days before Halloween, amid a separate neighborhood Halloween decorations dispute on TikTok.

She told WFTV Channel 9 that helping came naturally because she is studying to become a nurse. “You see a hurt person, I can’t just see that and be like, ‘oh no, I’m gonna go home,’” she said, adding that calling for help and checking on the driver was the bare minimum a decent human being can do.

The cause of the crash and the driver’s condition have not been confirmed.