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Honest Teenager Finds $135,000 And Hands It In To Police

Honest Teenager Finds $135,000 And Hands It In To Police

José Nuñez Romaniz immediately rung the emergency number on the ATM that the clear bag of money was lying next to

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

A teenager has been commended for his honest nature after he discovered a bag on the floor with $135,000 inside and handed it in.

When José Nuñez Romaniz, 19, saw the clear package he did what many wouldn't have and called the emergency number on the Wells Fargo bank ATM that it was resting against.

Workers at Wells Fargo realised that a mistake had been made by a subcontractor who meant to fill up the machine in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The $135k (£108,000) was returned to the bank and José - who is pursuing a degree in criminal justice - was rewarded for his honesty with $500 (£400) towards his college tuition, $500 cash and season tickets to go and see the University of New Mexico Lobos play football.

As well as this, the Albuquerque Police Department gave José a tour of their crime lab - it's the least they could do really for saving them a job tracking down a criminal that ended up $135,000 better off.

On top of that, they also offered to recruit him as a public safety officer so he has work that will help him pay his way through college.

José was hailed by the police.
Albuquerque Police Department

Speaking to CNN about the moment he spotted the bag filled with $50 and $20 bills, he said: "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?'".

Touching on the reasoning behind handing the money in, he told KQRE: "In the back of my head, I was just thinking about my parents, especially my mom.

"What she would do if I came home with the money and what she would do with her chancla (sandal) to hit me. I did the right thing and I know my parents are proud and my family is proud as well."

Albuquerque Police Department Chief Mike Geier hailed José for setting such a positive example, saying: "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."

Featured Image Credit: Albuquerque Police Department

Topics: News, Money, US News