Fundraiser for California gas station employee who messed up at pump

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. - A fundraiser has been started for a former gas station manager in California who was fired when he severely undercharged customers for gas. 

John Szczecina told Sacramento-station KCRA that this last week has been a nightmare for him after accidentally charging 69 cents a gallon for gas at a station in Rancho Cordova.

The now-former store manager at a Shell on Sunrise Boulevard said the $16,000 error boiled down to a simple misplacement of the decimal point. He meant to set it at $6.99. 

Szczecina said he was worried about being sued, and his family started a GoFundMe in an effort to repay the $20,000 lost in gas purchases because of the error. The fundraiser has so far raised more than $24,000.

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"I’ve just been awestruck, I’m still in shock, you know. It just makes me feel like there’s good in this world and it’s worth fighting for," Szczecina told KCRA. 

However, Szczecina said the company that runs his former station declined the money from the fundraiser.

Szczecina's mistake was a boon for others. 

 Hundreds of drivers took advantage of the situation as gas prices have been through the roof not only in California, but worldwide. 

"I was just excited. I couldn’t believe it," said Darryl Surita, a man who bought over 100 gallons. "I posted a video on my Instagram because I felt like, well I have a lot of followers, so I might as well post it and let everybody enjoy it."

If the gas station won't take the money raised on GoFundMe, Szczecina will have to return it. He's also looking for another job.