NORWOOD, MASS. (WHDH) - Ernie Boch Jr. gave away tens of thousands of dollars in free gas on Friday morning in celebration of “April Fuels Day.”
The local businessman and philanthropist pumped more than 7,000 gallons of gas into the tanks of about 500 vehicles at Rojo Irving Car Wash in Norwood. The gas was given to drivers on a first come, first serve basis.
With the price of gas is at an all-time high, Ernie said he wanted to give people a break at the pump and put smiles on their faces.
“It [the price of gas] just keeps rising and rising,” Boch said. “I got the idea of doing this because I had helped fill the gas of a friend of mine. I just couldn’t believe the numbers going up and it cracked $100. It stopped at $107 and I said this is crazy.”
The event kicked off at 7 a.m. but some motorists camped out in an adjacent parking lot overnight in anticipation of scoring a complimentary tank of gas.
“I just see a lot of smiles, I see a lot of happiness,” one man said after filling up his tank. “I hope it can spread through the whole day for as many people as possible.”
Hundreds of cars formed long lines in the hours leading up to the the giveaway and steady stream of motorists flocked to the gas station throughout the morning.
“I put $10 in yesterday just to get here,” another man said. “I’ve been waiting since one in the morning. I’m just very happy to get gas.”
In all, Boch gave away about $30,000 worth of gasoline.
“There’s an opportunity here where we can reach out to the community and have some fun,” Boch added.
Those who attended the event were also offered coffee and pastries.
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