A Pennsylvania man is being hailed as a hero after viral video showed him throwing a man and woman out of his Lyft after they called him a “n***** lover” and threatened to punch him in the face to beat.
The video, originally posted to Facebook by Lyft driver James W. Bode on Friday, shows Bode — a white man — sitting in the driver’s seat of his car as a white woman gets in.
He further confirms that the Lyft is for a “Jackie,” to which she replies, “Wow, you’re such a white guy.”
Bode asks her to repeat herself, to which Jackie replies, “You’re like a normal guy. As if you speak English.«
She then apologizes to Bode and pats him on the shoulder, but he just replies, “No, you can get out of the car.”
The woman – later identified by Morning Call as bar owner Jackie Harford – then appears shocked.
“This is completely inappropriate,” Bode replies in the video.
What he said next is hard to hear, but Jackie replies, “Are you serious?” when Bode says to a man offscreen, “She said, ‘Wow, you’re white.’
They then appear to get into the car, to which Bode says, “That’s fine, I won’t go with you, you can get out.
“It was totally inappropriate.”
A viral video shows a woman named “Jackie” entering a Lyft, surprised to find the driver, James Bode, is white
Bode repeatedly asks the woman to repeat herself, telling her her comments are “inappropriate,” but she tries to apologize and touches his shoulder
Eventually, he tells the woman and a man she dated off-screen that he doesn’t drive her
As they leave, the man threatens Bode that he would punch him in the face and calls him a “n***** lover” – although Bode tells them he is recording the incident
Bode posted about the incident on Facebook and wrote that he had lodged a complaint with the police about the apparent threat
But the unidentified man Harford is dating appears to be annoyed as he calls Bode a “f****** a******.”
At this point, Bode decides to make sure they know he’s recording the entire exchange, even if the man says, “I could punch you in the f***ing face.”
“That’s assault,” Bode says to the man, “because you guys are racist shit.”
“You’re a f*cking motherfucker,” the man then repeats before calling him a “f***** n***** lover.”
Bode was then seen unbuckling his seat belt as the man told him to “get out of here”.
“No,” replies Bode. “I’m calling the cops about you, man, it’s all on camera. It’s all on camera.”
He then decides to ask the couple if they own the biker bar Fossil’s Last Stand in Catasauqua, to which they appear to nod.
“That’s great, everyone will know,” replies Bode.
He later posted about the exchange on Facebook, writing that he had filed a complaint with the police over the threat of assault, writing, “If you make me feel uncomfortable, I will absolutely do the same, especially in my car or property.” ‘
The woman was later identified as Jackie Harford, the owner of Fossils Last Stand in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania (pictured).
After the video went viral, several people gave the biker bar a one-star rating and called the owners racist
As a result, Fossil’s Last Stand received multiple one-star reviews on Yelp.
For example, Fabiola S. wrote: “Owners are racists, do NOT spend money here.
“Yelp thrives as a community space that empowers, this restaurant and the owners are a total contradiction,” she added. “Racists are not welcome.”
Flava N. also urged people not to spend their money there, writing, “This store needs to be closed.”
And Gina P. wrote: “The owners have recently served up a steaming heap of blatant racist anger, with a side dish of sheer ignorance.”
Morning Call reports that Harford has now shut down the bar’s website and Facebook page, and also deleted her own Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Bode was celebrated online for his work, and people thanked him for taking a stand against racism and speaking out about it publicly.
Some even went so far as to call him a “hero,” noting that it was difficult to take a stand in such a situation.
But Bode wrote on Facebook after the incident: “For everyone who is reaching out and showing support, thank you. I really appreciate it.
“But that’s the way it should be, always and everywhere.
“I shouldn’t be ‘the guy’ who did it or said it… we should all be that person.
“Speak up if you’re uncomfortable about it because they’re uncomfortable about it like they should be,” he added. “Fucking racism.”