The Viral Story of a Stranger's Good Deed at a Gas Station Will Give You Chills

One man's uplifting encounter with a stranger at a gas station serves as a much-needed reminder to embrace the kindness of others and pass it on.

In Albury, Australia, Tyson Crawley stopped at a gas station before work to refuel his car and grab iced coffee when he realized he didn't have his brand-new bank card with him. Scrambling, Tyson tried using a different card but was completely blanking on that card's PIN number. Faced with a $110 bill, his dogs barking outside, and the realization that he would likely be late for work, he began to panic. That's when a total stranger intervened.

The stranger was previously in the gas station to purchase a cup of coffee. When he noticed Tyson struggling, he walked back in and asked Tyson if he needed some money. Tyson initially rejected the act of kindness due to the large amount he owed but eventually accepted and told the stranger he would transfer him the money back. The stranger agreed, wrote down his number on the back of the receipt, and then took a selfie with Tyson who insisted he capture the touching moment.

When Tyson later looked at the back of the receipt, he saw what the stranger had actually written: "Pass it on." You can read the story from Tyson in his Facebook post below.

In his retelling the story on Facebook, Tyson wrote, "Please be beautiful people, and remember it's not about keeping up with the joneses, having the biggest house, most expensive car, the largest bank account, but work with each other." He ended with,"After all, what is money compared to the quality of human life?" The powerful post has more than 900 reactions, 200 shares, and 100 comments on Facebook — although those numbers will likely increase as the story spreads.

After some investigating, it was discovered that the kind stranger is John Kennedy Jr., a former ice hockey player from Michigan who currently works for a geotech company. John spoke with Mashable about the encounter and said, "I saw a brother in need and just wanted to help." Adding, "Tyson asked me to write my number down and I didn't want him to return the money, I just thought 'pass it on' as in pass on 'something good.'"

Both John and Tyson have expressed feeling awestruck by the response their story has received.