Charles Ramsey, the neighbor who helped to free three women from the Cleveland-area home where police said they were held for more than a decade, told CNN's Anderson Cooper that any reward money tied to the case should go to the victims.
The FBI's missing person page for Gina DeJesus, who disappeared while walking home from school in April of 2004 at the age of 14, notes that the agency would be offering a reward of an unspecified amount for information leading to her recovery.
A page dedicated to Amanda Berry, who vanished while walking home from work at a fast food restaurant in 2003 at the age of 16, also promises up to $25,000 for anyone with information about her disappearance.
When Cooper pointed out the potential for reward money, Ramsey promptly dismissed the suggestion that he'd be accepting anything in return for his help.
“I tell you what you do, give it to them,” Ramsey told CNN. “Because if folks been following this case since last night, you been following me since last night, you know I got a job anyway.”
Ramsey went on to explain that he's a Christian and just did what he was supposed to do.
Ramsey, who has been hailed a hero, became an Internet sensation after giving a colorful description of the events that unfolded after he heard the screams of Berry while he was eating McDonalds. (The company went so far at to salute Ramsey in a tweet and let him know that someone would "be in touch.")
Hodge's Cleveland, the local restaurant where Ramsey works as a dishwasher, has started making "Cleveland's Hero" T-shirts featuring Ramsey's face. Proceeds from the shirts will reportedly go to the victims.
Despite Ramsey's insistence that he does not want any financial support for his role in helping the women, a Portland man launched a fundraising page earlier this week to try and collect $10,000 in donations for Ramsey.
Robby Russell, the man who started the page, told KPTV Fox 12 Portland that he didn't want Ramsey to be forgotten and that the donations are a way of showing thanks. By Wednesday afternoon, the Go Fund Me page for Ramsey had raised more than $3,000.
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