‘My Parents Are Proud’: Teen Finds $135,000 in Cash at ATM, Does the Right Thing by Calling the Police

‘My Parents Are Proud’: Teen Finds $135,000 in Cash at ATM, Does the Right Thing by Calling the Police
(Illustration - Cassiohabib/Shutterstock)
5/12/2020
Updated:
5/12/2020

While transacting at an ATM, a 19-year-old student made the discovery of a lifetime—a bulging plastic bag filled with cash. Without thinking twice, he immediately called the police to hand in the multiple stacks of bills totaling over $100,000. Afterward, the young man was rewarded for his good deed and is now hailed a hero by his community.

On May 3, 2020, Jose Nuñez Romaniz, a criminal justice student from Albuquerque, New Mexico, went out to buy some socks for his grandfather. While at a Wells Fargo ATM, he noticed an immense amount of cash just sitting next to the machine.

“When I first saw it, I kind of stared at it for a few seconds, not knowing what to do,” the young man recalled, The New York Times reported.
While Nuñez said the thought of keeping the cash hadn’t crossed his mind, he did for a second consider it may be a trap and that he was in some danger. So, he called 911 and explained the situation. “I did the right thing, and I know my parents are proud, and my family is proud as well,” he said, KRQE reported.

Within minutes, a few officers arrived at the scene. The officers took the money, and they counted it. It turned out that the bag was filled with $135,000 in cash. Officer Simon Drobik, spokesperson from the Albuquerque Police Department, told The New York Times that in his 21-year career, he’d never seen something as “unique and refreshing” as Nuñez’s gesture. “I think this is the biggest amount of money found in Albuquerque and returned,” the officer added.

As for how the money got there in the first place, it seems to have been an accident. A driver from Wells Fargo took the money to fill in the ATM and forgot it there. According to KRQE, the incident is being investigated by the company.

So impressed were the authorities by the 19-year-old’s act that on May 7, they organized a ceremony to honor the young man. “But then he started telling me about a ceremony to honor me,“ the teen said. ”He wanted me to take my family there and meet the mayor and the chief of police.”

The ceremony was held at the Albuquerque Police Academy and was attended by about 50 people, including mayor Tim Keller. “Man, we all know that temptation—even just take a little, just one of those bundles off the top, I mean that had to be really hard,” Keller said jokingly.

“Whether you can believe that it is divine, or it’s good luck or whatever, we were just talking about how—the irony that his career is so far leaning towards criminal justice, and he happens to be looking for a job, and we happen to be hiring,” mayor Keller added.

Police Chief Mike Geier presented the young man with a plaque, along with a $500 reward check. “What a great opportunity for us to see some good in the community with all the tragedies we see with young people, this really restores our faith in the community as well,” Geier said.

According to CNN, at least three other local businesses offered Nuñez $500 checks as a token of appreciation for his gesture, and one local restaurant even presented him with a $100 gift card. All of these show that good deeds have their own rewards.