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Highwayman Running on Empty

Before Thomas Weller leaves his El Cajon house and “goes out to play,” he looks like a character from the movie Mystery Men: he puts on black shin-guards (like the kind worn by baseball catchers), a reflective vest, and a Panama hat. He has a white, neatly trimmed mustache and looks like a homemade superhero.

You see, Weller (aka “The Highwayman”) has spent the past 38 years looking out for motorists stranded on San Diego’s highways. With his sidekick Shela (a six-and-a-half-year-old lab/collie mix) strapped into the passenger seat of his tricked-out 1955 Ford wagon, Weller takes off in search of those in need. Out of gas? Weller has plenty in the back of the wagon. Flat tire? It can be changed in 90 seconds — Weller was timed once by an impatient police officer. Dead battery? You get the point.

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But because of exorbitant gas prices, Weller’s days of helping stranded motorists are sputtering out. He says he feels pangs in his chest thinking about it.

“It lifts my spirits, and if I don’t go out I start feeling very depressed. I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t go out and play anymore.” On average, Weller spends over $100 per rescue mission and his wallet is wearing thin...as is his wife’s patience.

Weller’s solution: to try and find “an angel.” For 17 months (starting in 2002), the Auto Trader paid for Weller's gas and for a cell phone, but those times are long gone and he's in search of a new angel.

For more info on Weller, cruise through his website at sandiegohighwayman.com.

photo

Thomas "Highwayman" Weller

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Before Thomas Weller leaves his El Cajon house and “goes out to play,” he looks like a character from the movie Mystery Men: he puts on black shin-guards (like the kind worn by baseball catchers), a reflective vest, and a Panama hat. He has a white, neatly trimmed mustache and looks like a homemade superhero.

You see, Weller (aka “The Highwayman”) has spent the past 38 years looking out for motorists stranded on San Diego’s highways. With his sidekick Shela (a six-and-a-half-year-old lab/collie mix) strapped into the passenger seat of his tricked-out 1955 Ford wagon, Weller takes off in search of those in need. Out of gas? Weller has plenty in the back of the wagon. Flat tire? It can be changed in 90 seconds — Weller was timed once by an impatient police officer. Dead battery? You get the point.

Sponsored
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But because of exorbitant gas prices, Weller’s days of helping stranded motorists are sputtering out. He says he feels pangs in his chest thinking about it.

“It lifts my spirits, and if I don’t go out I start feeling very depressed. I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t go out and play anymore.” On average, Weller spends over $100 per rescue mission and his wallet is wearing thin...as is his wife’s patience.

Weller’s solution: to try and find “an angel.” For 17 months (starting in 2002), the Auto Trader paid for Weller's gas and for a cell phone, but those times are long gone and he's in search of a new angel.

For more info on Weller, cruise through his website at sandiegohighwayman.com.

photo

Thomas "Highwayman" Weller

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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