Indiana man’s Chevy pickup that looks split in half becomes famous before community rallies together
Published on Jan 08, 2026 at 4:17 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Jan 08, 2026 at 11:44 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
An Indiana man saw his Chevy pickup truck, which looked split in half, become famous before the community rallied together for him.
Marcellus ‘MO’ Riles had been driving his 1999 Chevrolet Silverado for many years, and it certainly looked a lot worse for wear after all those miles.
It had become a local sensation, however, and Riles said he had met a lot of people while driving around his battered truck.
But the community decided to rally around for Riles and enable him to finally get a new truck that wasn’t split in half.
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Why Riles kept driving his old Chevy pickup truck
The ‘fixer-upper’ had been pushed well beyond its limits, but Riley didn’t seem to mind.
“I’ve met a lot of good people driving that truck, he told the local WSBT news crew.
“I’ve taken pictures with people, people taking pictures with me, and the truck and vice versa,” he went on to add.
And, we’ve laughed, you know, people laugh, and I laugh with them.”
Within his community in South Bend, Indiana, Riles is known as a friendly local who is humble and hard-working.
So, after many years with his 1999 Silverado, they wanted to give something back to him.
The community rallied around to gift the Indiana native a new truck.
Rallying around for a new Silverado truck
On November 30, 2025, Car Guys Auto owner Colin Crowell started up a fundraiser.
It aimed to get Riles into a newer, safer truck, so he could finally say goodbye to his old Silverado.
Incredibly, residents of South Bend were able to raise the money in just a few weeks.
After four weeks, the donors had raised $22,000 for Riles.
This was more than enough to buy him a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, with further assistance from Gates Chevy.
It was a remarkable action for the South Bend residents and the dealerships involved.
However, the old truck will not be sent for scrap.
RIles will hold onto it and use it for community events and as a memento.
But for all his daily driving needs, Riles now has a new Silverado to get around town in.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
