Belgian Man Fakes His Death, Arrives at Funeral by Helicopter to Teach Family a Lesson: "I Felt Unappreciated"

• TikToker David Baerten devised an audacious plan to fake his own death, leaving his family and followers in shock
• Baerten took the deception to the next level by making a grand entrance at his own funeral, arriving by helicopter accompanied by a film crew
• The prank received backlash from fans, with many criticising Baerten for crossing boundaries and causing unnecessary emotional distress

A man faked his death and then turned up to his own funeral in a helicopter as part of a dramatic stunt to teach his family a lesson about staying in touch.

David Baerten, 45, a TikTok creator, Baerten reportedly planned the elaborate hoax to teach his family a lesson about staying in touch and to gauge their reactions.

Faking death to gauge family reactions

Baerten's wife and children were aware of the plan and actively participated in the ruse on social media.

One of his daughters even posted a heartfelt message mourning her father's supposed death.

She wrote:

"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."

Man turns up at his own funeral

The staged funeral took place, and as mourners gathered, Baerten arrived in a helicopter accompanied by a film crew.

The prank by the TikToker has received serious backlash from some quarters.

According to The Times, Baerten was forced to explain his actions, suggesting that he did so to see how his wider family would react after he claimed they had fallen out of contact with him.

"What I see in my family often hurts me. I never get invited to anything. Nobody sees me. We all grew apart. I felt unappreciated. 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.," he said.

He has not yet released the full video of him arriving by chopper.

A fellow TikTok user, who was attending the funeral, shared footage of it landing in a field where friends and family were gathered.

Woman accused of killing ex-boyfriend to fake husband's death

Briefly News reported on a Soshanguve couple that has been arrested for allegedly killing the wife's ex-lover and faking the husband's death to collect insurance money.

The couple is facing charges of murder, fraud, and defeating the ends of justice. Many could not help but draw comparisons to the now infamous Thabo Bester case.

The case has shocked South Africa, with many people calling for the couple to be brought to justice. The couple is scheduled to appear in court again on May 18.

Source: TUKO.co.ke