A North Texas barber came across what looked like an ordinary ATM mishap last month—until he realized it involved more than $128,000 in cash. Rather than keep the unexpected windfall, he turned every dollar over to police, authorities said.
The 37-year-old Lewisville resident, who chose not to reveal his name to CBS, had gone to the bank’s ATM with a 42-year-old woman when they noticed several bags resting on top of the machine. Inside, police found $128,510 in cash along with another bag containing 19 checks.
“I’ve never had a case like this before, ever,” Lewisville police Detective Gina Miller told CBS.
The barber called 911, then noticed that one of the bags carried a Chick-fil-A label. Hoping to identify the owner, he brought the money to the nearby fast-food restaurant, but the manager said the bags did not belong to the business.
When an officer arrived, the cash was counted twice to ensure the full amount was present. Police then secured the money in a safe location.
Finding such a large amount of money is highly unusual, Lewisville Police Chief Brook Rollins told CBS.
He added that it was even more remarkable that the cash showed no connection to criminal activity and had apparently been left behind by mistake.
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Investigators determined that the money belonged to Bank of America and was being handled by the bank’s cash-management contractor, Brinks.
According to police and CBS, a Brinks technician had recently serviced the ATM and was supposed to transport the funds. Instead, the technician accidentally left the bags on top of the machine.
“The bag was just sitting there,” Miller said, explaining that officers found no evidence of a theft or other crime. Everything indicated the money had simply been forgotten.
Bank of America later collected the cash and checks.
Rollins said the incident highlighted the important role ordinary residents play in helping police recover property and resolve unusual situations.
“We are one half of the equation, the police; the other half is the community,” he told CBS.
The Lewisville Police Department and Bank of America had not immediately responded to The Post’s requests for comment.