The man who filmed a fellow commuter shaving on a New Jersey Transit train and posted it on social media says he “never intended any harm.”
The video that circulated over the last week showed 56-year-old Anthony Torres sitting and shaving his lathered face as the train headed out of New York City.
Torres was widely mocked as the video went viral.
“I never intended any harm by taking or posting this video,” Pete Bentivegna wrote on Twitter. “There has been a lot of licensing interest and all proceeds will be going to support Anthony Torres and his family.”
Bentivegna took down his Twitter account on Wednesday and declined to be interviewed by the Daily News.
More than 2 million people have viewed the video. Responses on the internet ranged from comments like “slob,” “animal” and “nasty,” to others suggesting that people should not pass judgment.
Torres later reached out to The Associated Press saying, “My life is all screwed up. That’s the reason I was shaving on the train.”
Torres didn’t realize he was being filmed, but when he saw the video on the internet he was upset.
“I never thought it would go viral, people making fun of me,” he told the AP.
Torres said he just wanted to look “presentable” after spending time in a homeless shelter in New York City.
“I don’t want to say that I’m homeless, let everybody know,” he said. “That’s why I was shaving.”
Jordan Uhl, a stranger to Torres said, “ we are trying to raise money for Anthony to help him get back on his feet,” in a tweet Monday.
A GoFundMe was started and has raised over $31,000 as of Wednesday.
With News Wire Services
