Advertisement

Woman raises over $100,000 for homeless veteran who gave her his last $20 when she was left stranded

<em>Kate McLure was stranded when homeless man Johnny Bobbitt Jr gave her his last $20 (GoFundMe)</em>
Kate McLure was stranded when homeless man Johnny Bobbitt Jr gave her his last $20 (GoFundMe)

A woman has raised thousands of pounds for a homeless man who gave her his last $20 when she was left stranded.

Kate McLure, 27, ran out of petrol while driving down Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and had no choice but to pull over on the deserted highway in the middle of the night last month.

The New Jersey resident said her “heart was beating out of my chest” as she got out and tried to find the nearest petrol station.

Frightened and alone, Kate’s luck turned around when she ran into former Marine Johnny Bobbitt Jr, who now sleeps rough on the streets.

<em>Kate has now raised over $100,000 for Johnny to turn his life around (AP)</em>
Kate has now raised over $100,000 for Johnny to turn his life around (AP)

Johnny, 34, acted as her Good Samaritan, offering Kate, who works at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the last of his money to help her out.

She explained: “He saw me pull over and knew something was wrong. He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors.

“A few minutes later, he comes back with a red gas can. Using his last 20 dollars to make sure I could get home safe.

Yahoo News UK

89-year-old retired policeman murdered wife because he couldn’t cope with her dementia
Catholic school covers up ‘suggestive’ statue of saint giving boy a loaf of bread
Ikea reissues recall of Malm drawers after eighth child dies – but they’re still on sale in the UK
Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner becomes a grandmother at 37
James Bulger killer Jon Venables ‘jailed for second time for possession of child sex abuse images’

“Johnny did not ask me for a dollar, and I couldn’t repay him at that moment because I didn’t have any cash, but I have been stopping by his spot for the past few weeks.”

Wanting to do more to repay the selfless act of kindness, Kate set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Johnny – and it has raised nearly $115,000 (£86,448) so far.

Kate said the money raised for Johnny will go towards renting him an apartment and paying for necessities include food, clothing and transportation.

Johnny, originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, served in the Marines as an ammunition technician but has been homeless for 18 months.