Connor Gaydos, a man linked to an apparent parody project to relaunch the energy company Enron and become its new CEO, was hit in the face with a cake as he entered a building in New York City this week.

The incident was captured on video and went viral on social media on Thursday. The clip shows Gaydos getting out of an SUV just before an older man hits him in the face with the cake while two bodyguards intervene.

The bizarre incident mirrored an incident more than two decades earlier, when a California woman threw a cake into the face of then-Enron CEO Jeffrey Schilling.

Earlier this month, a group announced that the scandal-plagued Texas company would return exactly 23 years after it filed for bankruptcy amid massive fraud claims.

“With a bold new vision, Enron will harness cutting-edge technology, human ingenuity and the spirit of adaptation to address critical challenges in energy, sustainability, accessibility and affordability,” the company said in a news release that raised questions about its vision Legitimacy.

The announcement reportedly included billboards in the Houston area, a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle and a video promoting the company’s comeback.

An investigation conducted by Houston station KHOU found a disclaimer on the company’s website that read: “The information on the website is a parody protected by the First Amendment, constitutes performance art, and is intended for entertainment purposes only.”

Many have speculated that the company’s resurgence was simply a publicity stunt to promote cryptocurrency.

Originally published: December 12, 2024 at 7:25 pm EST