Bizarro Bladerunner: Wannabe influencer doles out massive machetes to homeless in Austin and New Orleans

This week, an up‑and‑coming influencer shot himself into the spotlight by giving 18‑inch machetes and alcohol to people sleeping on the streets of Austin and New Orleans. He said the act was meant to help them, but the spectacle quickly turned viral for all the wrong reasons.

The man behind the prank is Keith Castillo, whose TikTok handle is “povwolfy.” On Thanksgiving he uploaded a clip that has racked up more than 14 million views on TikTok and Instagram. In the video, he opens a package of stainless‑steel, 18‑inch sabers and offers one to anyone who will take it. “Here, want one of these?” he says. A passerby nods, grabs the blade, and the camera captures the scene.

On the ground, a woman even asks for a second weapon. The caption that accompanies the clip reads “Keeping the homeless in the streets,” a line that many readers found tone‑deaf and cynical.

Castillo told The Post that the machetes—still wrapped in their original packaging—were a bargain purchase from Harbor Freight, coming in at under five dollars each. He shot a second clip on November 22 in which he hands out four unwrapped knives and a bottle of vodka to strangers along an unnamed back road in Louisiana. The video shows a man in a blue hat accepting what looks like an unsheathed serrated blade, while the influencer hands over a single‑ounce bottle of 66‑proof Cinnamon whisky, which he refers to as a “fireball.” In a later post on November 20, Castillo gave out seven more bladed weapons, calling them “big ass swords.” He bragged that the purpose was to keep the homeless safe—though critics were far less enthusiastic.

An Instagram user, “xraydepartment254,” fired back: “Keeping them safe [no], making them dangerous [yes].”

Castillo, 29, explained that he is currently on a nationwide tour that kicked off last month and that he’s now in Little Rock, Arkansas. He’s still “handing out alcohol and machetes to the homeless.” “I have like 30 machetes in my car right now,” he laughed. “Dude, they’re cheap.” He said he records a batch in one city, then moves to the next for a couple of weeks to keep the content flowing.

To date he has handed weapons in Austin, New Orleans, and Little Rock, and he’s targeting bigger markets. “I have plans to go to Vegas, Skid Row in L.A. soon,” he told reporters. “I should be in New York in January, I have a lot of friends out there,” he added. “Go hand out a bunch of machetes and fireballs there, too.”

When asked about legality, the Texas native said he talked to the police before he started giving out knives and was assured that there was “nothing illegal.” He also insisted that he wasn’t doing something immoral and that he believed the blades would not be used for harm. “These are for, like, tool purposes. They have zero intent for what people are claiming they want to do with the [machetes],” he said. And regarding alcohol: “Honestly I really don’t care bro, it’s good for the clicks and views, you know,” he added. “Gotta do what we have to do so we eat.”

The NYPD declined to comment on the upcoming stunt or its legality, but law‑enforcement experts expressed their shock. “That sounds like a cocktail for disaster — alcohol and machetes. Could we get any dumber?” said retired NYPD Sergeant and John Jay College professor Joseph Giacalone. “Possession of a machete isn’t against the law.”

Both the videos posted to Castillo’s original “povwolfy” account contained lengthy, pro‑forma sponsorship captions promoting the betting site Stake. The police departments of Austin, Little Rock and New Orleans—all of which have been contacted—have not yet responded to requests for comment.

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