What would you do if you found a bag containing $128,514 left unattended at an ATM? A 37-year-old barber in Lewisville, Texas, walked up to a Bank of America ATM on West Main Street on August 3. He was about $100 short on rent and had spent part of that day arguing about it. Sitting on top of the machine were two bags; one contained $128,514 in cash, while the other held 19 cheques, according to NBC 5. Faced with a sum that could have covered his rent many times over, he made a choice few would expect. He chose honesty over free money.He wasn’t excited to see the money. Fear came before anything else. In the body-camera footage, the man tells Officer J. Nazario how he felt when he saw the money. ”Bro, you know what I felt when I saw it? I got scared, bro,” he said, according to CBS News. He started shaking and asked himself what he should do. He called the police immediately. He also told the officer that he had a felony on his record. Police said the man and his 42-year-old friend had found the two bags, one of which contained $128,514.
A bag left behind
The bags appeared to have been left behind by a Brink’s crew servicing the Bank of America ATM. The man found a label on one of the bags pointing to a Chick-fil-A down the road. They went there looking for the owner, but the restaurant did not claim the money. The owner explained that a nearby business, now operating as Hawaiian Bros, had previously been a Chick-fil-A. The ATM apparently still carried identification linked to the former restaurant. The owner then contacted the police.
Police arrive
When Officer Nazario reached the scene, he could hardly believe the amount. The officers counted the cash, and a bank receipt inside the bag listed exactly $128,514. Nothing was missing. Detective Gina Miller of the Lewisville Police Department said she had handled cases involving people returning wallets, identification and other lost property, but had never seen someone turn in that much cash. ”I’ve never had somebody turn in that kind of money before,” she told the broadcaster.The barber, however, revealed the circumstances behind his financial difficulties. ”I’m arguing with her at the Walmart because I’m short on rent,” he recalled. ”Go to the ATM, I’m short 100.” That’s when he found the money. ”I started shaking. I’m like, what do I do? I called the laws.”The cash went into the department’s property room. Bank of America told the channel that it was grateful for the man’s actions, but did not say whether he had received any money. Although the police did not give him a reward, they expressed their appreciation for his actions.”It takes a lot to do the right thing. And I can’t commend you enough. Especially, like you said, in this day and age, that’s impressive,” the officer said. Although the man wanted to avoid public attention, he confirmed that he would attend a private ceremony if the police department honoured him.
