Woman raises more than $370,000 for homeless man who helped her with gas

A New Jersey woman who ran out of gas in Philadelphia is thankful for Johnny.

Johnny Bobbitt Jr. is a homeless veteran who gave his last $20 to help the stranded driver get home safely in the middle of the night.

Now, Kate McClure is raising money for the 34-year-old, in hopes of changing his life.

“I truly believe that all Johnny needs is one little break,” she wrote on a GoFundme page set up for Johnny.

'He used his last $20'

McClure says she met Johnny under less than ideal circumstances.

The 27-year-old's car ran out of gas along a Philadelphia freeway while on her way to visit a friend.

“I never ran out gas before, and my heart was beating out of my chest. I pulled over as far as I could, and got out of the car to head to the nearest gas station,” she wrote on the GoFundMe page.

That’s when an unlikely hero came to her rescue.

“Johnny sits on the side of the road every day, holding a sign. He saw me pull over and knew something was wrong,” she wrote. “He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors.”

McClure followed the stranger's directions and Johnny returned with a red gas can a few minutes later.

He “used his last 20 dollars to make sure I could get home safe,” McClure wrote.

She says he didn’t ask for anything in return.

“I wish that I could do more for this selfless man, who went out of his way just to help me that day,” she said.

McClure returned to the roadway where Johnny lives several times with her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, to pay him back with money, food, warm clothing and even a WaWa giftcard.

However, something made the couple want to do more.

Who is Johnny?

Turns out Johnny is not only McClure's hero, he's an American hero.

He served as an ammunition technician in the U.S. Marine Corps, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The North Carolina native trained to be a paramedic, with hopes to one day becoming a flight nurse.

A friend who had been close to Johnny told the Inquirer that his friend’s life took a turn for the worse because of drugs and money problems.

Johnny has been homeless in Philadelphia for a year and a half, the Inquirer reports.

D’Amico says Johnny took full responsibility for his actions and said “I got nobody to blame by myself.”

Paying it forward

One act of kindness from a stranger inspired another.

McClure set up a GoFundMe page for Johnny, with an original goal of $10,000.

The campaign has raised more than $379,000 dollars in 13 days.

The couple plans to manage all the donations to rent Johnny an apartment, and to buy him a cellphone, car and food.

“Johnny has reflected on his life,” D’Amico told the Inquirer. “He just needs a push in the right direction.”

They recently shared the news with Johnny, who had no idea the couple was raising money for him.

“Yall did all that! That’s awesome!” he exclaimed in a video McClure posted to Twitter.

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