This elderly street musician lost his tip jar to a thief. His fans came to the rescue

Supa Peter isn’t wealthy but his steel-drum music on Lake Worth streets has enriched passersby.

So much so, after the 77-year-old’s tip jar was stolen Monday while he performed outside the Kava Sutra Bar on Lake Avenue, according to WPTV, residents took up his cause and created a GoFundMe page.

“This is his livelihood and it’s pretty low someone would steal from a man that already had very little and works very hard for what he makes and deserves it all, plus more,” friend Jayme Selman wrote as he set up the fundraising campaign on GoFund Me.

“While we may not catch the culprit I want to show Supa how much this community loves and cares about him,” wrote Selman, who runs the local charity group, Can I Help You —Lake Worth.

Selman hopes to reimburse Peter’s lost tips — and then some. By Wednesday morning, the page has topped its $500 goal by raising $678 through 33 donations.

“Supa is very overwhelmed with happiness and he’s very grateful,” Selman said Wednesday.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office says the theft was captured on surveillance video and the suspect was wearing a dark hoodie and gray Nike shoes, WPTV reports. If you have information, call Palm Beach County Crimestoppers at 800-458-8477.

“He bring us nothing but joy and entertainment and I know times have been tough for him enough,” Selman wrote on the GoFundMe page.

“I’m new to the community but it made my heart swell to see my new neighbors coming together to help him,” a Facebook user posted on the Can I Help You — Lake Worth group page.

This story was originally published November 7, 2018 at 12:32 PM.