A 2-year-old boy who had become famous on TikTok as the ‘Okay Baby’ has died in a car crash, police have reported.
Preston Ordone of Slidell, Louisiana had gained a devoted online following for funny videos which he enthusiastically answered: “Okay!” to adults’ instructions and then gaily disregarded them.
On Thursday, the Louisiana State Police confirmed that he had been killed when a 2011 Ford F-150 driven by his parents, Jaelan and Katelynn Ordone, veered off I-12 for unknown reasons and crashed into a tree.
But the Ordone family protested against LSP’s claim that Preston had been “improperly restrained” in his child safety seat, calling it “hurtful” and untrue.
Preston’s grandfather Glen Norris told Nola.com that the child had actually been properly restrained, citing a witness who helped remove Preston from the crashed vehicle.
In a post and comment on Facebook, LSP said its goal was “never to add to the pain,” but rather to “raise awareness” about how to prevent future similar deaths.
“Louisiana law requires all occupants, regardless of seating position, to be properly restrained at all times. The proper use of seat belts and child safety seats can be the difference between life and death,” the force said.
Preston’s antics had earned his mother Katelynn nearly 437,000 followers and more than 33m likes on TikTok, with videos regularly running up millions of views.
The videos showed Preston joyfully running around, dancing, hiding in odd places, stomping in mud, and generally doing things he had previously assured his parents he would not do.
A GoFundMe page posted by the Ordone family to pay for their medical expenses had raised around $36,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Monday evening.
In a video posted to Katelynn’s TikTok page on Sunday, their friends Carson and Melanie Matranga said that Katelynn had suffered multiple broken bones and a “very bad concussion”, while Jaelan had emergency surgery to put rods in his legs.
“Preston had made a huge impact on all you guys,” said Carson Matranga. “He made people smile, laugh. I know you guys look forward to seeing him every day.
“And I know that in heaven right now, if there’s mud in heaven, he probably has found it, and is jumping and dancing in it… we’re gonna miss him, a lot.”
Melanie Matranga added: “Even though this is TikTok… and even though some people might look at it as entertainment, this is truly who they were, and that was truly Preston.
“What you saw on the video, and how you made you guys feel, is what he made his family feel — every single day.”
The couple also said that Preston’s seven-year-old daughter Paisley was at school during the crash, and was not in the vehicle.
In its Facebook comment, LSP said: “As fellow mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and members of this community, we truly understand the emotional weight of these events. Your concerns are completely valid.”
But it went on: “We hope we can raise awareness about actions that could potentially save lives in the future. Our hope is to reach those who may not have considered the far-reaching consequences of certain behaviors.
“We understand that this stance may still be difficult for many, especially for those who are deeply affected by these tragedies.
“We have learned through the years that we must balance a family’s respect for privacy while fulfilling our obligation of disclosing information in a responsible manner.”
