UPS community is mourning the loss of Frank Ordonez — and GoFundMe pages are popping up
The family of UPS driver Frank Ordonez — who was taken hostage by two armed robbers and later killed during a shootout with police in Miramar — have set up a GoFundMe page to help support his two young daughters.
So did several others — and most of them seemed to be from members of the UPS community who wanted to show solidarity.
Social media was flooded with support and prayers for Ordonez’s family immediately following the tragedy.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic events ... regarding one of our Teamsters Local 769 members, who was carjacked while doing his job.,” a statement made by Ordonez’s union president reads in part. “The cowardly actions of the criminals involved that chose to kidnap this hard working young man to give themselves some type of ‘cover’ or ‘shield’ are precisely the opposite of what Teamster men and women are and stand for. We pray for the family of this young man.”
One Facebook user who says she and her husband worked for UPS also shared condolences on the company’s Facebook page.
“My husband and I both worked for UPS ... we are so sorry to hear of this also all the other innocent people who were involved,” she wrote. “We always worry about them wrecking but never even think of something like this happening.”
About nine GoFundMe pages were online early Friday. Many of the creators said they were UPS drivers or family members of UPS workers who wanted to show support and solidarity for Ordonez’s family.
Those page numbers dwindled throughout the day Friday as GoFundMe’s Trust & Safety Team worked to verify them.
As of Friday afternoon, GoFundMe had verified only two of the pages.
One of the verified pages was created by Frank Ordonez’s brother Roy to help raise funds for a lawyer, funeral costs and to support his brother’s 3- and 5-year-old daughters.
“He didn’t deserve to die the way he did, he was just going to work to provide for his two little girls, which he loved so much, which are now left without a father,” his brother wrote on the page.
The other verified page was created by Raymond Mathers, a UPS driver in New York City, shortly after the shooting Thursday. Miami Herald news partner CBS4 says the funds are being raised by Local 804, a UPS workers union.
The funds raised will then be sent to the local union in Florida, according to the GoFundMe page.
“A fellow UPS driver was the unfortunate victim of a hijacking, resulting in a tragic death,” Mathers wrote. “Let’s help Frank Odonez’s family in this tragic time and show some support from those who wear brown as well as friends and family of UPSers.”
Those interested in donating to Ordonez’s brother’s GoFundMe page or Mathers GoFundMe page can visit GoFundMe.com
This story was originally published December 6, 2019 at 5:36 PM.
