San Diego Highwayman

Thomas Weller (born December 25, 1947), a.k.a. the San Diego Highwayman, is an American mechanic and nationally recognized Good Samaritan. His Highwayman moniker originated from a 1996 segment by CBS reporter Charles Kuralt.[1]

Thomas Weller
Born (1947-12-25) December 25, 1947
Years active1966-2017

Weller began helping stranded motorists in 1966, two years after his car plowed into a snowbank in Illinois. A man saved Weller's life by pulling him out and asked Weller to pass on the favor as payment.[2]

His modified 1955 Ford station wagon, Beulah, is notable for its significant resemblance to the Ghostbusters vehicle Ecto-1.[3]

In April 2002, Autotrader.com arranged for Weller's fuel costs to be paid, but the coverage ended 17 months later due to budget cuts.[2]

Weller was featured on the front page of the Los Angeles Times on July 24, 2008.[2]

On August 10, 2011, Beulah was totaled in a freeway accident.[3] Weller could not afford to repair the station wagon, but in December 2014, a dedicated GoFundMe campaign raised over $10,000 to cover the cost.[1] In March 2015, KFMB (AM) radio host Mike Slater invited Weller onto his show. A listener named Rick Moore called in and offered to rebuild Beulah for free.[4]

In March 2017, Weller suffered a minor stroke that partially paralyzed his left side. While still committed to helping those he encounters, he decided to end his regular freeway patrols.[5]

References
  1. Hall, Matthew T. (30 January 2015). "The San Diego Highwayman helped stranded motorists for decades. Now, they help him". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  2. Douglass, Elizabeth (24 July 2008). "Really, he won't send you a bill". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  3. Hargrove, Dorian (23 August 2011). "The Highwayman's Rig: Totaled". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  4. Opelka, Mike (14 August 2015). "San Diego's 'Highway Man' Gets Paid Back for Almost 50 Years of Good Deeds". TheBlaze. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  5. Bell, Diane (31 March 2017). "Stranded motorists lose longtime good Samaritan". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 17 December 2017.


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