Eight-year-old Connecticut boy given a $400 shopping spree after being pranked at Target

SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - An eight year-old, hearing impaired Southington boy was left in tears after being pranked at a Target store on Saturday.

But as cruel as this story sounds, it does have a happy ending.

TJ Lyles said his heart sank when he realized his son Gabe had been duped.

"Me, as a father, it devastated me because the very last thing I ever wanna do is hurt him," Lyles expressed.

Details

Lyles says he and his son had been shopping at Target when three men approached, claiming to be from a YouTube channel that rewards people for doing challenges.

When Gabe told them he was hearing impaired, they said that's why they chose him.

"The lead person out of the three immediately said, 'That's what we were looking for...somebody that had a disability,'" Lyles further explained.

The three men asked Gabe and his father to take a blindfolded challenge. If Gabe could fill a shopping cart in 30 seconds, they would pay for it. But instead, Lyles says his son was in tears.

"We had the blindfold on and at the 10 second marker, I hear footsteps running," Lyles remarked.

Reaction

Hearing about the situation, Southington's Commission for Persons with Disabilities reacted.

"I got angry. If I'm being honest, very, very angry to hear that they would target this child," said Melissa Lapila, Chairwoman for the Southington Disability Commission.

Mary Barbagallo, Vice Chairwoman for the Southington Disability Commission, further added, "The first thing we said was, 'What can we do?'"

Advocating for the boy, they bought a Target gift card. Target matched the contribution and together they were able to present Gabe $400, providing a real shopping spree.

"It made me cry. They are such fantastic people," Lyles praised.