Young Man Immediately Calls Police After Finding $135K Next To ATM, Says 'Stolen Money Would Never Last'

Jan 24, 2022 by apost team

Seldom do people find cash laying around without an owner, and even if they do it is usually not in very large amounts. A lot of people who find cash are faced with a  dilemma: keep it or try to find the rightful owner to return it? When it comes to insignificant amounts such as a dollar or two, there is less guilt in taking the money. For larger amounts, however, people need to stop and think about doing the right thing. 

Jose Nuñez Romaniz from Albuquerque, New Mexico, found a very large amount of forgotten cash—$135,000 to be exact—when he was visiting an ATM just two minutes from his home on Sunday, May 8th. While Nuñez was planning on just depositing some money so his grandfather could buy socks online, he ended up having to make a massive decision after finding a large bag of cash left unattended next to the very ATM he was visiting. 

According to CNN, 19-year-old Nuñez was just on his way to the local ATM on a Sunday to deposit some money so he could help his grandfather by some socks online after they couldn't find the right ones in any stores. After parking his truck and walking towards the ATM outside of a Wells Fargo bank, Nuñez spotted a clear plastic bag filled with stacks of money.

Anyone else in this position might have thought that it was their lucky day and could have pocketed the money. After all, the amount is so significant that it is literally life-changing. However, Nuñez felt compelled to do the right thing. 

Nuñez told KOAT Action 7 News: "In the back of my head, I was thinking about my parents, especially my mom."

Nuñez told also told CNN:

"I didn't know what to do. I was, like, dreaming. I was just in shock. I was looking at myself and just thinking, 'What should I do?' "

According to Nuñez's interview, there were many factors that influenced his decision on what to do with the money. The bag contained a "foot-long stack" of 20 and 50 dollar bills. Upon making his decision to call the local police station instead of taking the money for himself, Nuñez told CNN that he was thinking of his mother: 

"I had my mom's voice and her 'chancla' in the back of my head. My parents always taught me to work for my own. Stolen money would never last you any time." 

"La chancla" refers to the real but simultaneously humourous threat of parents spanking children with a flip-flop to keep them doing what's right. With this teaching from his parents in his head, Nuñez called the Albuquerque police to turn over the money.

Once the money reached the police station, it was counted and revealed that the bag totaled a whopping $135,000. Officer Simon Drobik concluded that the money must have been mistakenly left by a bank subcontractor who was in charge of refilling the ATM with cash. Officer Drobik told CNN:

"This money could have made an incredible amount of difference in his life if he went down the other path, but he chose ... the integrity path and did the right thing." 

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Although he did not get to take home $135,000, Nuñez did not go home empty-handed. As a current community college student with the hopes of studying criminal justice, Nuñez was welcomed by the Alberquerque police force to apply for a position as a public safety officer, since he is too young at 19 to become a full-time police officer. 

CNN also reported that Nuñez was gifted $500 gift cards from at least three local businesses in the area along with a $100 gift card from a local restaurant. Albuquerque ESPN Radio 101.7 FM also presented him with sports memorabilia for his good deed, including a signed football from a former NFL player that was drafted from the University of New Mexico, Brian Urlacher. This gift was also paired with six season tickets for UNM football. 

After Nuñez reported the money, he told CNN what he did afterward:

"I went back home and finished my online shopping."

Nuñez's mother was contacted by him right after his time at the police station on that Sunday. Nuñez's parents had immigrated to the United States from Mexico back in the 1990s, and his mother was very proud of him. 

Nuñez recalled that his parents imbibed important values in him, and in the end, this is what prompted him to do the right thing. He knew how integral it would be to return what he had found. 

He also added that doing the right thing moved his mother deeply:

"She told me I did the right thing and that she was proud of me. She called me and almost started crying."

Isn't it admirable that Nuñez decided to call the police instead of taking the money for himself? Do you know of anyone who has ever found a large amount of money? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to pass this on to others so they can read up on Nuñez's integrity, too!