Man Shaving In Video On NJ Transit Says He's Homeless: Reports

A since-deleted viral video of a man caught shaving on a New Jersey Transit train lost its humor when the shaver came forward to say that he was homeless, according to multiple reports.

In a widely shared video, Anthony Torres, 56, was spotted shaving on a New Jersey Transit train. Many mocked it as another oddity onboard the train, but Torres told the Associated Press he was shaving on the train because he had nowhere else to do it after spending several days in a homeless shelter.

“My life is all screwed up. That’s the reason I was shaving on the train,” Torres reportedly said.

Torres said he was taking the train from a homeless shelter in New York City to his brother's house in New Jersey after another brother had gifted him a train ticket. He wanted to shave before getting off the train so he would look presentable, Time reported.

The sudden fame upset Torres, who did not know he was being filmed, NY Post reported. His older brother, Thomas Torres, was also upset, telling the paper that it's "hard to see the life [Anthonty Torres] has lived."

The person who shared the video appears to have removed their Twitter account entirely. Patch was unable to contact the original poster before the account was removed.

When the video was first posted, Twitter users responded with mockery or disgust. Since the news of Torres's situation spread, many have changed their tunes, saying it was wrong of them to "shame" Torres.

Others drew parallels to the recent "shaming" of Geoffrey Owens, the "Cosby Show" actor who was recently photographed working in a New Jersey Trader Joe's.

• Read More: Job-Shamed Actor From NJ Trader Joe's Speaks Out

One prominent progressive fundraiser, Jordan Uhl, responded by establishing a GoFundMe. At press time, the fundraiser had raised $13,100.

Image via GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner