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Indiana pizza delivery driver tipped $2 after hiking through snowstorm in ‘affluent’ neighborhood — then police officer steps in to help

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Indiana pizza delivery driver tipped  after hiking through snowstorm in ‘affluent’ neighborhood — then police officer steps in to help


A dedicated Indiana pizza delivery driver walked half a mile through a dangerous snowstorm in a “very affluent” neighborhood before he was met with a $2 tip.

Connor Stephanoff, an employee at Rock Star Pizza, was seen walking in the treacherous conditions in Brownsburg, Ind. as multiple plows filled the street to clear the snow last week, according to footage posted by Avon Police Department Lieutenant Richard Craig.

Stephanoff initially drove to complete the order, but a school bus crash blocked the road.

@officercraig

$2 TIP SHOULD BE A CRIME! Whoever did this: #SHAMEFUL ROCKSTAR PIZZA HAS A ROCKSTAR DRIVER. (Brownsburg, IN.) This guy is a RARE breed. During today’s all day snowstorm, crashes and slideoffs were coming in near 30 calls an hour. This school bus had a minor crash. The bus slid backwards and sideways down a hill and gets stuck, blocking this neighborhood street, and making it completely impassable. The roads were so bad, it took us 20 min. to get 3-4 miles. THIS #DELIVERYDRIVER pulled up before officers arrived. The delivery was about 1/4 mile past where the bus was blocking the street. This young man did not allow this to discourage him. He didn’t call his manager to complain, he didn’t call the customer and tell them their $40 pizza order could not be delivered. Oh no. THIS MAN IS BUILT DIFFERENT. He would not be discouraged by the obstacles he was encountering, which included a 1/2 mile hike round trip in the cold, wet snow. He parked his vehicle at the top of the hill, got out, wearing grey sweats, Nikes, and NO COAT nor GLOVES. He grabbed this RockstarPizza, and took off hiking thru the very cold, and wet snow with the pizza in tow. It was the beginning of his shift at 4:30p on a Friday afternoon, BUT he was determined this family got their pizza. This is in a more affluent neighborhood, and I’m sure he thought he would be rewarded properly for his RARE display of PRIDE and DEDICATION to his work- that is often times not seen by some of his generation. But more so, he wanted to ensure this family got their pizza to their door! So they did not have to leave the confines of their warm, comfortable, AND VERY NICE home. He got my attention as I see him walking in the middle of street after he made the delivery. I said outloud “what does this guy think he is doing?” As I initially thought he was a neighbor coming to “rubberneck” the crash. The bus driver told me he walked by once and was delivering a pizza. I didn’t believe that fully because what young pizza delivery guy in 2025 would do this??? None that I know! Not believing it completely, I hit RECORD and ask this young man. I was dumbfounded and in disbelief when he confirmed. But most of all – I was impressed- AND STILL AM! I’m proud to witness this firsthand. But my excitement and pride quickly turned to frustration when I asked him about his tip. WHO TIPS A GUY WHO RISKS EVERYTHING TO DRIVE FOOD TO YOUR DOOR LIKE THIS?? Let alone, gets out to hike it to you while every road was nearly impassable! I REALLY HOPE this algorithm is good enough that whomever DID THIS, SEES THIS! You should be ashamed of yourself whoever u are!! SHAME ON YOU. A $40 pizza delivered and a $2 tip! EVERYONE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD CAN AFFORD IT. AND IF THEY CANT, STOP ORDERING PIZZA YOU CANT AFFORD! After processing he only received $2, and what I just witnessed, I reached for my own wallet. To PAY THE TIP FOR SOMEONE THAT PROBABLY MAKES DOUBLE MY SALARY. But I did not want this young man discouraged. Unfortunately my wallet was in my Tahoe, which was at the top of the big hill. I quickly as I could chased him down up the hill giving him the little cash I had in my wallet. (About $15) HE DESERVED MUCH MORE. Not sure who this guy is, BUT IF YOU DO, PLZ TAG HIM, SHOW HIM SOME ❤️❤️❤️ AND GIVE HIM THE RECOGNITION HE DESERVES! Well done sir.🫡#IncredibleWork #Rockstar #Brownsburg #Indiana #delivery #Driver #snow #PizzaGuy #pizza @Dave Portnoy #LifeLawAndFootball #dedicated #workethic @Pat McAfee Show Clips

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♬ original sound – Officer Craig

That’s when Stephanoff decided to complete the journey on foot – wearing a sweatpants, sweater, a beanie and sneakers.

Craig was outside helping residents navigate the dangerous road conditions when he noticed Stephanoff trekking through the snow-covered street and told him to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk.

Stephanoff revealed that he had to walk in the snow to complete the $40 pizza delivery.

“Did you get a good tip?” Craig asked.

“Two dollars,” Stephanoff replied.

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Stephanoff looked at the receipt again and corrected the number to $2.15. 

The officer was stunned.

“Two dollars?” Craig exclaimed. “Are you kidding me? Cold-blooded! Two dollars. Look at this man. This man walked through hell and high water to deliver a pizza.”

Connor Stephanoff only received a measly $2 tip after he walked half a mile in a snowstorm to deliver a $40 order. officercraig/TikTok

Craig was impressed by Stephanoff’s work ethic and dedication but was disgusted that a customer in a wealthy neighborhood would tip him so little during the terrible conditions.

“The delivery was about 1/4 mile past where the bus was blocking the street,” Craig captioned under his video. “This young man did not allow this to discourage him. He didn’t call his manager to complain, he didn’t call the customer and tell them their $40 pizza order could not be delivered. Oh no. THIS MAN IS BUILT DIFFERENT.”

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Craig gave Stephanoff $15 bucks but set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $500.

Avon Police Department Officer Richard Craig set up a GoFundMe for the pizza delivery driver. officercraig/TikTok

The fundraiser has raised over $16,000 as of Saturday morning.

“I think what makes this story resonate is that at one time or another, any of us who has worked in a customer service position, has been Connor,” Rockstar Pizza wrote in a Facebook post. “We’ve gone over & above what anyone could ever ask of us, and the effort wasn’t appreciated. If not for Officer Craig, this would have just been another delivery shift for Connor.”

“Any condition, anytime, anywhere. You will get your pizza,” Stephanoff told WRTV. officercraig/TikTok
The GoFundMe page has raised over $15,000 for Stephanoff as of Saturday morning. officercraig/TikTok

The restaurant added that they gave workers the option to stay home during the storm if they didn’t feel safe.

Stephanoff decided to work.

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“He’s a great kid who works hard & we’re so happy to have him,” the restaurant added.

“Any condition, anytime, anywhere. You will get your pizza,” Stephanoff told WRTV.





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Looking ahead: Five takeaways on high school basketball regional matchups

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Looking ahead: Five takeaways on high school basketball regional matchups


The high school basketball regional matchups and sites are set. Still more to come on recapping sectional week, including a wild championship Saturday night, but wanted to get out some initial thoughts and takeaways on the upcoming regional round.

Showdown at Southport

Pike vs. Mt. Vernon.

Is Caitlin Clark going to show up again? She should.

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This matchup, set for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Southport Fieldhouse, is probably the headliner of the 4A regional slate. The first game was insane, as the two teams combined for a state-record 30 3-pointers in Pike’s 84-81 overtime win.

What do we have for an encore? Third-ranked Pike got through the more difficult Sectional 11 at Plainfield, defeating the fifth-ranked Quakers 56-53 on Friday, rallying from a 15-point third-quarter deficit. The Red Devils (23-3) played confident in a 79-68 win over a pesky and physical Brownsburg in the championship game, led by 17 points and four assists from junior guard Jahari Miller and three others in double figures.

The x-factor is Luke Ertel. Pike coach Jeff Teague, after Saturday’s win, called the Mt. Vernon senior “the best player in the state.” He will not find many arguments there. The Purdue recruit led the fourth-ranked Marauders (24-3) to the Sectional 9 title at Greenfield-Central with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a 64-50 win over the host Cougars.

Not many better matchups (are there any?) around the state than this one.

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The second game at Southport is interesting, too. Talented Lawrence Central (14-11) has won five in a row, including a 70-57 upset win over Lawrence North in Sectional 10 at Tech. Decatur Central (19-6) set a school record for wins and won its first sectional since 2005.

Class 4A north battle at Plymouth

You could make a case for Chesterton vs. No. 2 Crown Point at Michigan City, but to me the most interesting 4A north regional matchup is No. 6 Northridge (24-1) vs. No. 8 South Bend St. Joseph (21-4) at Plymouth.

Northridge and South Bend St. Joe are two dramatically different teams, which adds a little bit more intrigue to the game. Northridge won its first sectional championship in six years with a 48-37 win over Warsaw in the sectional at Elkhart.

The Raiders, led by senior and Indiana All-Star candidate Brady Scholl, leads the state in 4A in points allowed per game at 44.4. South Bend St. Joseph, last year’s 3A state champion, leads the state in scoring at 78.4 points per game.

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That game is 7 p.m. at Plymouth, following the 4 p.m. Class 3A game between No. 6 Columbia City (22-4) and Hanover Central (12-14).

Intrigue at Greencastle

Fourth-ranked Northview is a really good 3A team. Anyone who watched the Hall of Fame Classic at New Castle can confirm. The Knights rolled to the Sectional 27 title at Speedway with a 64-43 win over Cascade behind an 18-point night from Trayven Buis and 17 from Quinn Lewis.

But I have my eye on Northview’s game against Roncalli (17-7) in the regional at Greencastle. The Royals came through a tough Sectional 26 at Greenwood, knocking off the host Woodmen 56-44 in the sectional championship. Roncalli is balanced and veteran and added a big piece to the puzzle with Joey Ortman returning from a back injury that cost him most of the season.

I think this has a chance to be one of the best games of the day anywhere in the state.

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Doubleheader at Martinsville

Oh man. There are a couple of great matchups set for Martinsville.

The first, No. 4 Parke Heritage (23-4) vs. No. 5 Centerville (24-2) could potentially decide the Class 2A entry from the south in the state finals. It is a huge game, a rematch of Parke Heritage’s 47-41 win over Centerville in the same round last season.

We have written and talked quite a bit about Parke Heritage, which had its path stopped in the semistate the past three years. This could be the team to break through.

We have probably not written enough about Centerville, which steamrolled Hagerstown (85-57) and Shenandoah (66-36) to win the sectional. The Bulldogs have knocked off teams like Delta, Guerin Catholic, Liberty Christian and Pendleton Heights this season. Seniors Shea Hollendonner (19.7 ppg, 4.2 rebounds) and Landyn Keiser (11.1 ppg, 5.2 rebounds) are Centerville’s top players.

The second game also looks tantalizing. No. 3 Cathedral (21-5) defeated No. 10 Brebeuf Jesuit (18-6) on Dec. 5 by nine points, 71-62. It is a little surprising these programs have only met once previously in the tournament, a Brebeuf sectional win 25 years ago.

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Brebeuf knocked off No. 5 Guerin Catholic 48-47 for the Sectional 25 championship at Frankfort and Cathedral took out Crispus Attucks 81-63 in the Sectional 26 championship at Broad Ripple.

Neither of these teams will be the favorite to come out of the 3A south – that is top-ranked Silver Creek (27-1) – but the winner at Martinsville might be the Dragons’ toughest challenger.

The Class 2A north

Loaded.

The Class 2A north bracket looks awesome. There are a couple heavyweight matchups in the regional – No. 3 Westview (24-1) vs. No. 7 Gary 21st Century (17-6) at North Judson and Blackford (20-6) vs. No. 9 Lapel (20-5) at Lapel (cue the complaints that Lapel gets to host a regional game).

Gary 21st Century, which beat Westview three years ago in the regional, is led by senior point guard Terrence Hayes Jr. (17.6 ppg, 6.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists), one of four players averaging in double figures. Kaden Grau (19.1 ppg, 5.1 rebounds) and Austin Schlabach (18.4 ppg, 5.5 assists) are standouts for Westview. Neither team was threatened in the sectional.

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Blackford was challenged in the sectional, getting through Alexandria (62-54), Eastbrook (42-35) and Wapahani (49-39) in Sectional 40 at Eastbrook. Amarian Leggett (26.7 ppg, 4.3 assists) is one of the top sophomores in the state. Lapel has taken off since a 19-point loss to Oak Hill, winning 10 consecutive games. Owen Garber put up a cool 30 points in Lapel’s 77-54 sectional championship win over Sheridan in Sectional 39 at Elwood.

Here are the full regional matchups

Class 4A

  • Chesterton vs. Crown Point at Michigan City, 8 p.m.
  • Northridge vs. South Bend Saint Joseph at Plymouth, 7 p.m.
  • Fort Wayne Snider vs. Carmel at New Castle, 4 p.m.
  • Harrison (West Lafayette) vs. Homestead at Logansport, 4 p.m.
  • Mt. Vernon vs. Pike at Southport, 4 p.m.
  • Lawrence Central vs. Decatur Central at Southport, 7 p.m.
  • New Albany vs. Castle at Southridge, 4 p.m.
  • Columbus North vs. Terre Haute North at Greencastle, 7 p.m.

CLASS 3A

  • Columbia City vs. Hanover Central at Plymouth, 4 p.m.
  • East Chicago Central vs. Mishawaka Marian at Michigan City, 5 p.m.
  • West Lafayette vs. New Haven at Logansport, 1 p.m.
  • Delta vs. Blackhawk Christian at New Castle, 1 p.m.
  • Brebeuf Jesuit vs. Cathedral at Martinsville, 7 p.m.
  • Northview vs. Roncalli at Greencastle, 4 p.m.
  • Evansville Bosse vs. Princeton at Southridge, 1 p.m.
  • Silver Creek vs. Batesville at Charlestown, 4 p.m.

CLASS 2A

  • Westview vs. 21st Century Academy at North Judson, 7 p.m.
  • Bishop Luers vs. Bremen at Huntington North, 7 p.m.
  • Blackford at Lapel, 4 p.m.
  • Benton Central vs. Oak Hill at Frankfort, 4 p.m.
  • Parke Heritage vs. Centerville at Martinsville, 4 p.m.
  • Cardinal Ritter vs. Triton Central at Greenfield-Central, 7 p.m.
  • Paoli vs. Linton-Stockton at Seymour, 4 p.m.
  • Austin vs. Forest Park at Charlestown, 1 p.m.

CLASS A

  • Fort Wayne Canterbury vs. Tri-County at Huntington North, 4 p.m.
  • Triton vs. Marquette Catholic at North Judson, 4 p.m.
  • Monroe Central vs. Southwood at Lapel, 1 p.m.
  • Rossville vs. North Vermillion at Frankfort, 1 p.m.
  • South Decatur vs. Hauser at Seymour, 1 p.m.
  • Liberty Christian vs. Greenwood Christian at Greenfield-Central, 4 p.m.
  • Barr-Reeve vs. West Washington at Washington, 1 p.m.
  • Northeast Dubois vs. Bloomfield at Washington, 4 p.m.

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.



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Supercross: Results From Indianapolis, Indiana

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Supercross: Results From Indianapolis, Indiana


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the public about an event, product, or service from the issuer’s own point of view, and if deemed
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A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers. When a post is labeled with the words “press release”, it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate. Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors.



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IU basketball: Ohio State 91 Indiana 78 — Three keys, highlights, final stats

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IU basketball:  Ohio State 91 Indiana 78 — Three keys, highlights, final stats


COLUMBUS, Ohio  — Indiana lost to Ohio State Saturday evening at Value City Arena by a final score of 91-78.

The three keys to the game, highlights and final stats are below.

Ohio State led 50-33 at halftime.  The Hoosiers were led in the game by Lamar Wilkerson with 18 points.  Tucker DeVries added 17.

For Darian DeVries and Reed Bailey postgame, GO HERE.

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Indiana will be the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will play on Wednesday evening in Chicago.

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

1. Abysmal defense.  Ohio State torched Indiana’s defense.  The Buckeyes started the game hot from the field and never really cooled down.  For the game OSU shot 59.2% overall including 45.8% from three.  But the first half was the real story, when OSU made 67.9% overall and 61.5% (8 of 13) from three.  The live stats indicate the Buckeyes scored 1.56 points per possession in the first half.

2. OSU takes away the three.  Take away the three, slow down IU’s offense.  Indiana got up just eight attempts from long range in the first half and made just one.  Yes, OSU made as many threes as IU attempted in the first half. Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries combined to go 0 of 5 from long range before the break.  The Hoosiers came in averaging more than 51% of their field goal attempts from three, but took just 28.6% of their shots from beyond the arc in the first half.  Things didn’t get much better after the break, and IU shot just 5 of 18 from deep for the game.

3. First half turnovers.  Indiana added insult to injury in the first half with eight turnovers that resulted in 13 Ohio State points.  Several of those opportunities resulted in live ball scenarios where the Buckeyes were able to score before IU’s defense was set.  Seven different Indiana players had first half turnovers.  Those miscues plus Ohio State’s hot shooting contributed to a 15-4 Buckeye close to the first half to give them their biggest first half margin (17) at the break.

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HIGHLIGHTS

FINAL STATS

For complete coverage of IU basketball, GO HERE. 

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The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”



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