A tragic incident in January involving a man in Arizona led to the emergence of one of the first big memes of 2025, the "Drive-Thru Goonicide."

The absurd story is still getting viral attention on the internet in March, as people are now spotting the same model of car the man used during a drive-thru experience, exposing himself before ultimately taking his own life, and calling it "The Ghost of The Goon."

@r32_josh GOON IN PEACE😔 #fyp #goonmobile #dodge #nautica #gooninpeace #treanding #trendingvideo #treandingsound ♬ Ghost of the Goon Bentley – prasiegodmanee

The meme has gained momentum recently, especially on TikTok, which is transforming the Goonicide incident into an online "urban legend" in which you must gather pieces of the lore to truly understand the trend.

Luckily, we have almost all you need to know about the bizarre "Goonmobile" meme.

What Is The Drive-Thru Goonicide Incident?

For reasons no one will ever fully understand, Arizona man Nautica Malone pulled up at a Bikini Beans Coffee drive-thru in early January 2025 without wearing anything below his waist, which was recorded by a barista as she approached his black Dodge Challenger, saying his behavior was unacceptable.

LMFAO WHOS MANS IS THIS pic.twitter.com/sEMJaoPIwU

— 🏄🏽‍♂️ (@mjkjuice2) January 11, 2025

After the incident, several X users and meme pages quoted the viral video sharing the news of Nautica Malone's purported death on January 13th, making jokes about him being a "gooner," which is an internet slang term often used to describe someone engaged in some lewd behavior (more on that here).

What Is The Ghost of The Goon Meme?

Amid the series of memes and morbid jokes about the Goonicide incident, some people started to focus on the black Dodge Challenger car driven by the man, merging the slang "goon" with "mobile," like the "batmobile," but in this case, the "goonmobile."

On January 22nd, 2025, TikTok user @lrdc784 posted the earliest meme about the car, reenacting the viral video using Grand Theft Auto graphics.

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It was on February 1st, however, that the Goonicide started to become an online "urban legend." TikTok user @blockcrusher49 uploaded a video of a black Dodge Challenger, the same model used by Malone, calling the car "the Ghost of The Goon."

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How Is The Ghost of The Goon Sound Being Used On TikTok?

The TikTok sound didn't go viral immediately, but it has since inspired a wave of content on TikTok as users film sightings of black Dodge Challengers all over the world, using the teen's mix of surprise and suspense reaction after spotting a car of the model used in the goonicide incident.

The audio created by @praisegodmaneee (account deleted) in mid-March uses Zelda Majora's Mask "Clock tower bell" sound to give the post an eerie and haunting atmosphere as if he had just seen something that shouldn't exist.

@perplexdock Ghost of the goon #fyp #edmonton #canada🇨🇦 ♬ Ghost of the Goon Bentley – prasiegodmanee

As @praisegodmaneee sound clips gained popularity it contributed to the meme's life cycle, inspiring others to post videos or images of black Dodge Challengers.

For example, TikTok user @gtrxturbo uploaded a video using the soundbite after spotting the ghost of the goon car in the streets.

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Netizens' morbid interest in the Goonicide incident also sparked "the Gooneral" memorial held in front of the drive-thru in Arizona, which gathered "fans" of the late Malone, ironically paying tributes and lighting candles for the man.

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For the full history of The Ghost of The Goon be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.