Woman living abroad in Australia surprises best friend at Lightning home game: 'Tears were shed'
TAMPA, Fla. - A woman living abroad in Australia surprised her best friend in the best way at the Tampa Bay Lightning's home game two weeks ago.
The backstory:
Ava Ingersoll had been living in Australia for two years and came home for the holidays at the last minute, according to Storyful. So, she and her best friend's boyfriend planned a big surprise and even made sure to buy the seat next to her at the game.
Dig deeper:
Ingersoll posted video of the surprise on TikTok, which showed the moment her best friend, Lara Feurtes, realized who she was sitting next to at the home game against the St. Louis Blues on December 22.
"My boyfriend is taking a video, and she starts taking a picture, and I'm overwhelmed. I'm like, 'what is going on?'" Feurtes said.
The moment unfolded as the Lightning netted a goal and the crowd erupted in cheers. Video showed Ingersoll's friend looking up at the phone, which is when she realized the person next to her had a very familiar face.
"It was the best surprise I've ever received in my life, ever," Feurtes said.
The video Ingersoll posted and a separate video have been viewed a total of 10 million times on Instagram.
What they're saying:
Ingersoll said on the social media post, "tears were shed."
The video shows the pair exchanging a hug after her friend jumped up in disbelief.
"I love the heartwarming reunion videos and that's why I knew I wanted to do that at some point in my life," said Ingersoll. "The Lord blessed me with this opportunity, so I'm very grateful."
The Source: The information in this story was released by Storyful and includes details from the video that captured the big surprise. It also includes information from interviews conducted by FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer with Ava Ingersoll and her friend Lara Feurtes.