I feel embarrassed': Insane twist to viral tyre heist saga

Ethan Bryant posted the update on August 20. Photo / Facebook

Earlier this week, the star of Mount Maunganui's viral tyre heist video delivered a handcrafted gift to his victim to say sorry for stealing the tyres.

It seemed like a happy ending to an initially sad story and the owner of Cooper Tyres, Ethan Bryant, accepted the apology.

It turns out that wasn't the end of the story.

"Well, it was too good to be true," Bryant posted on Facebook.

"Unfortunately [the man] has lied to us all. He's a thief, a crack head and needs to be locked up until he can learn to respect people around him. Including his lovely parents that I met this morning. I'm sorry that it ended up this way. Turns out there really is no hope for these junkies."

Bryant posted a video revealing that the man hadn't made the beautiful furniture he had claimed to have made.

A message received by the tyre shop owner claimed that the man had a habit of ripping off his friends and family.

The message that revealed everything. Photo / Facebook

"Just when you think it's all over, it's not. And it's not a happy ending," Bryant says in the video.

He recalled the moment the man showed up with the "beautiful table" to say sorry.

"It was amazing. I couldn't believe it. His skill was stunning. I shouldn't have believed it.

"I feel embarrassed. I feel like I've been ripped off. But I also feel sorry for all the Kiwis who also believed his lies and everything," he added.

"What the hell is this guy thinking?

"I'm gonna take these back to [the man's] dad. Do the right thing."

Bryant claimed the man was one of the few "bad eggs" in Mt Maunganui.

The tyre shop owner visited the man's parents, "lovely old people", and returned the table his dad had made.

"This guy can't be looked at as a good person at all. If he's gonna rip off his old man, who made these tables himself, he's actually screwed up," he added.

Viral "name and shame"

Bryant initially went viral for his "name and shame" video where he confronted the man for stealing his tyres.

The incident happened in May, when Bryant arrived at work to find a set of mag wheels, worth about $800, had been stolen overnight.

After receiving a tip-off on where the wheels might be, he tracked down the culprit and demanded the tyres back - capturing the entire encounter on film.

The viral video had reached over 700,000 views on Cooper Tyre's Facebook page and Bryant became an internet sensation, along with his unwitting co-star.

The man then brought Bryant the two native wood coffee tables as koha to apologise.

At the time, Bryant said he had a lot of admiration for the man and believed anyone could change.