A bag of cash sitting on top of a Bank of America ATM put a Texas man in a peculiar situation. While many would have kept the money, he searched for the rightful owner.
The 37-year-old Lewisville man found the bag at about 10 a.m. on Aug. 3 at a Bank of America ATM in the Texas city about 30 miles north of Dallas. A second bag containing 19 checks was also at the scene, according to CBS News Texas and NBC 5, both citing Lewisville police.
The man, whose name hasn't been publicly confirmed but who local outlets reported works as a barber, was at the ATM with a 42-year-old woman when they spotted the bags. Information on one of the bags appeared to link the money to a nearby Chick-fil-A, so he drove to the restaurant to try to return it.
After a
manager told the man the cash didn't belong at the location, he called 911, and officers responded to secure the bags and determine who owned them, NBC 5 reported.
USA TODAY contacted Lewisville police and Bank of America on Oct. 1, but has not received a response.
What did police discover about the money?
Inside the cash bag was a bank receipt showing how much money it was supposed to contain. Police counted the cash twice and used a digital currency counter to verify the total, according to CBS News.
The money belonged to Bank of America and was being handled by its cash vendor, Brinks, the outlet reported.
Investigators believe a Brinks technician had serviced the ATM and accidentally left the bag on top of the machine. Police found no indication that the cash was connected to criminal activity.
The amount listed on the receipt matched the amount police recovered: $128,514. Not a dollar was missing.
Bank of America has since recovered the money, CBS News Texas reported.
Why did the man return the cash?
The man did not ask for a reward or seek public attention after turning over the money. Bank of America expressed its gratitude to him, according to NBC 5.
Lewisville Police Detective Gina Miller said she has handled cases involving people returning wallets, identification and other lost property, but has never seen someone turn in that much cash.
"I've never had a case like this before, ever," Miller said, per CBS News Texas.
Police Chief Brook Rollins said the man's actions were straightforward: He believed the money belonged to someone else and tried to get it back to them.
"This person didn't blink. They took it directly to where they thought it was supposed to be," Rollins told NBC 5.
Police said failing to return the money could have resulted in a felony-level theft charge.
Lewisville officials said they want to recognize the man for returning the funds. Although he has avoided public attention, he told CBS News Texas that he would attend a private ceremony if the police department honors him.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A man found $128K on top of a Bank of America ATM. Here's what he did next
