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Chicago millionaire gives away $200K in gas

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Posted at 11:51 AM, Mar 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-17 17:12:46-04

Vehicles across Chicago lined up for free gas Thursday morning.

Chicago millionaire Willie Wilson donated $200,000 worth of free gas "to alleviate some of the pain that Chicagoans are experiencing because of the highest fuel prices in 14 years."

Wilson listed nearly a dozen participating gas stations where people could either get free gas or gas at a discount.

According to the ABC affiliate in Chicago, people started lining up at 2 a.m. Thursday. The promotion began and 7 a.m. and lasted until the $200,000 in gas was gone.

"These are my neighborhoods. Chicago is my town. I'm not gonna stand by and just talk. We're gonna see if we do things to help this city here," Wilson said.

Each vehicle was allowed up to $50 worth of gas. If everyone used all $50 worth of gas, 4,000 vehicles would have benefited from the promotion.

The kind gesture didn't come without problems. It also led to massive traffic backups around Chicago.

Police were reportedly called in to help direct motorists.