A routine trip to an ATM turned into an extraordinary discovery when a 37-year-old man found a bag containing $128,514 in cash sitting on top of the machine.
The man, a local barber, spotted the money on Aug. 3 while visiting the ATM with a 42-year-old woman. A second smaller bag containing 19 checks was also nearby. Rather than take the cash for himself, he tried to figure out who it belonged to.
Information on one of the bags led him to believe the money might belong to a nearby Chick-fil-A, so he drove there to return it. But the restaurant manager told him the money wasn't theirs. He then called 911 and handed everything over to police.
Officers counted the cash twice and used a digital currency counter to verify the amount. The total came to exactly $128,514, matching the amount listed on a bank receipt found inside the bag.
Police eventually determined that the money belonged to Bank of America and had been left behind accidentally by a Brinks technician who had been servicing the ATM. Investigators found no indication that the cash was connected to a crime, and the bank later recovered the money.
The man's decision left police especially impressed. Detective Gina Miller said she had handled cases involving people returning wallets and other lost property, but had never seen someone turn in that much cash. Police now want to honor the man for returning every dollar, after the unusual discovery in Lewisville, Texas.