A tech billionaire gifted a New Hampshire hermit known as River Dave a $180,000 check to rebuild his cabin that was destroyed in a fire, local news outlets reported.
David Lidstone had been living in a cabin he built on private property along the Merrimack River in New Hampshire for 27 years, the Associated Press reported. He as jailed in mid-July.
On Aug. 4, a judge determined that Lidstone would be released from prison if either the cabin was destroyed, he agreed to leave the property, or 30 days pass since he was first arrested, according to the AP. A fire destroyed Lidstone’s cabin the same day he went to court, and the cause of the blaze is still unknown.
Palantir Technologies CEO and billionaire Alexander Karp gave David Lidstone the $180,000 check on Aug. 11 to rebuild his cabin in a new, secret location, the Concord Monitor reported.
“How can I express myself and my gratitude towards something like that? I start to tear up whenever I think about it,” Lidstone told the Monitor. “For an old logger who always had to work, for anyone to give you that type of money, it’s incredibly difficult for me to get my head around.”
Lidstone was jailed on July 15 and accused of squatting for 27 years in a cabin built on private property along the Merrimack River in New Hampshire, the Associated Press reported.
Jodie Gedeon, a close friend of Lidstone, announced the gift on a Facebook page and said River Dave would have temporary housing for the winter until the new cabin’s construction begins, according to the Monitor.
Karp co-founded the technology company Palantir Technologies, which makes data mining software used by the government and businesses, in 2003. Forbes estimates Karp’s net worth at $2.2 billion.
“I truly believe it’s in Mr. Karp’s nature to do this,” Gedeon said. “He is a sincere person [who] cares about others. He has humanity; he does the right thing.”
A Palantir spokesperson confirmed the story to the Monitor. The company has not responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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