We don't pump our gas in NJ thanks to this man and his gas price wars

AI-assisted summary

Reingold's actions led to a state law banning self-service gas stations, which remains unique to New Jersey.

Reingold later opened a controversial go-go lounge turned gay bar and was involved in a self-defense shooting.

Irving Reingold, a New Jersey businessman, sparked gas price wars in the 1950s by introducing self-service pumps and offering discounted gas.

Cars lined up for blocks at Irving Reingold’s new 24-pump mega-station in the summer of 1950, drawn to Paramus by gas prices few other New Jersey stations could match.

Just a year earlier, Reingold's push to sell gas at a cut rate through self-service pumps had triggered a law forcing attendants behind every tank — a quirky, yet beloved state law that still stands as the nation's only ban on self-service. Now,