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San Diego's Highwayman
For five decades, Thomas Weller turned roadside fear into relief with 10,000 rescues.
On Exhibit
1955 Ford Country Sedan "The Highwayman"
- Patrolled the San Deigo highways for fifty years
- Rescued 10,000 stranded motorists on San Diego highways
- Modified by Thomas Weller, “The Highwayman”
- Nickname Beulah
Inspired by a Stranger
In 1964, sixteen-year-old Thomas Weller got stuck in a snowbank, while driving in his native Illinois. After waiting several hours, he was rescued by a passerby who noticed the tire tracks. The man, who Weller credits with saving his life, refused payment for his good deed. Instead, he asked Weller to help someone in trouble. In 1966, Weller began doing just that.
Since then, Thom Wheller estimates that he has helped 10,000 motorists get back on the road in the over 50 years he patrolled San Diego’s freeways in Beulah, his specially modified 1955 Station Wagon.
Saving Motorists and Families
"I often did not go out with a plan at all, but I got directed by a higher power to where the was someone who needed me," said Tom.
He once told a stranded family to get out of their car and stand behind a guardrail. Minutes later a drunk driver plowed into their vehicle. "They were hugging me and kissing me because they were alive and they would not have been if they were sitting in their car," said Tom.
He saved their lives. A whole family.
THOMAS WELLER “The Highwayman”
Come see Tom Weller's 1955 Country Sedan in-person at the San Diego Automotive Museum!