16-Year-Old Riley Leon Gifted New Truck And $15K Following Viral Tornado Video

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Brian Emfinger/Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet/Facebook

16-year-old Riley Leon miraculously survived when the truck he was driving was hit by a tornado, taking him on the ride of his life. That ride was captured on video by storm chaser Brian Emfinger and immediately went viral.

The video captured by Emfinger showed a red truck being flipped onto its side and being spun around before being flipped back on its wheels, then driving off.  A preliminary report from the National Weather Service said the twister was an EF-2 with winds of roughly 115 mph.


“I honestly didn’t know what to do, to grab onto the steering wheel or to start praying,” Leon told KXAS in an interview after the incident that happened near Elgin, Texas.

The video has since garnered millions of views and caught the attention of a north Texas Chevy dealer who wanted to gift the teen a red 2022 Chevy Silverado to replace the one destroyed by the twister. Leon, who was on his way from from an interview at Whataburger when he drove into the path of the tornado, received the keys to his new ride on Saturday (March 26) along with a check for $15,000. The truck comes just in time for Leon to start his new job at Whataburger on Monday.

See the moment Riley Leon accepted the keys to his new truck and was surprised with a $15,000 check in the video below.

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About the Author

Tiffany Aaron

Hello! My name is Tiffany. Iโ€™ve worked as a content marketing specialist since 2014 and took on the role of Editor-in-Chief for Country Rebel in 2023. I love to write stories about music and the people who make it. I find joy in writing about topics that will educate, entertain, and bring smiles to readers'…

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