Community rallies around New Jersey man fired from Wawa over ‘Pee Pee Man’ toy

Here in the Philadelphia, we count on Wawa for everything from sandwiches to scratch-offs. In between the two, we look for a little entertainment, which is what Mike Cuzzo provided for the the customers of the Howell, New Jersey Wawa where he worked.

Unfortunately, though, it only got him fired.

Cuzzo, it seems, is fond of a squirt toy known to his customers as "Pee Pee Man," which expels water so that it seems like a young boy is urinating. Cuzzo, 52, reportedly used the toy to give customers a quick laugh while washing their windshields.

Via NJ.com:

Cuzzo, who was a field manager for Wawa, regularly used a squirt toy that shoots out water by making it appear that a boy is urinating. He got the idea to use the prop after taking his two daughters to a hibachi restaurant where the toys are commonly used. 

"I thought it was fun. I used it to clean the windshields and rearview mirrors. Usually people enjoyed it and requested it. In fact, it broke once and people started asking 'Where's Pee Pee Man?' So I had to order more," he said. "Unfortunately, the reason why I was fired is because one person didn't like it."

The person in question reportedly was a female passenger in a car that pulled up for service last Thursday, which led to Cuzzo's termination "about an hour and a half" after the customer filed a complaint.

Wawa has since issued a statement on Cuzzo's firing, which indicates that his termination was not based on a "single isolated incident like this." However, the statement also notes that Cuzzo "made many friends throughout his time at Wawa."

For Cuzzo, those friendly connections have blossomed into a Facebook fan page dubbed "Bring Back Mike! No Wawa Until Mike Is Back!," which is as much of a boycott as it is a support page. There is also a GoFundMe page setup for Cuzzo's benefit, which has garnered nearly $600 in donations since it went up over the weekend.

And lest you think Cuzzo's supporters are only social media activists, there was a protest at Cuzzo's Wawa in his honor this past weekend:

Dozens of Cuzzo's former customers and coworkers protested outside of the Wawa on Route 9 on Sunday morning in support of him. Dozens more honked their horns or stopped their cars to express their support as they passed by.

Cuzzo, for his part, has since started receiving other job offers.

[NJ.com]