ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Johns County firefighter is getting millions of views after a chance encounter with a high school football team turned into an impromptu bench press challenge.
Firefighter Tim O’Neill showed up to Beachside High School in full gear to respond to a fire alarm. The alarm turned out to be accidental, but as O’Neill and his crew walked the halls, they stumbled across the football team’s summer workout — and an invitation they couldn’t pass up.
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“They invited Tim to put some reps up and so he did,” said Chris Naff, public information officer for St. Johns County Fire Rescue, laughing as he recalled the moment.
How the challenge unfolded
O’Neill, still in his full firefighter gear, accepted the challenge and bench-pressed 225 pounds 11 times. Someone recorded the 40-second video, and within three days it had spread across social media.
Barstool Sports posted the video, where it topped 7.7 million views on that platform alone.
Naff said O’Neill’s crew actually tipped him off first. “We found out about it from his crew — they sent me the video first,” he said.
More than a good sport
Naff describes O’Neill, who has been with the department since 2025, as someone who goes well beyond the job.
“All around great guy,” Naff said. “This is the guy that you want coming to your house as a friend or help around your house.”
O’Neill is also an Army National Guard Sergeant who earned the title Iron NCO for the top fitness score in his class.
Despite the viral attention, Naff says O’Neill isn’t chasing the spotlight. “He’s pretty humble about it,” he said.
A rare feel-good moment
For Naff and the department, the video offered a welcome change of pace from the difficult calls that typically make the news.
“We tend to show a lot of different things and tragic incidents and houses on fire,” Naff said, “so this was a good positive community impact that we had.”