Teenager, an Aspiring Detective, Returns $135,000 He Found

The New York Times   Mariel Padilla  May 10, 2020

Jose Nuñez Romaniz was headed to the bank to deposit money so he could buy socks online for his grandfather when he came upon a large clear plastic bag filled with cash next to an ATM in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“When I first saw it, I kind of stared at it for a few seconds, not knowing what to do,” Nuñez said of his discovery May 3. “I was very shocked. I’ve never seen so much money.”

Nuñez, 19, a criminal justice student at Central New Mexico Community College, said that after the initial shock had worn off, he took a picture of the bag. He said he noticed a tag on the outside of the bag that said it contained $60,000 in $20 bills. The police later counted an additional $75,000 in $50 bills. “It never passed through my mind to keep any of it,” Nuñez said Saturday.

Nuñez first thought about calling the toll-free number on the Wells Fargo ATM but instead dialed 911 because he didn’t want it to seem as if he had been stealing, he said.

After calling the police, he put the bag in his car and moved it so someone else could use the machine. He then called his mother to tell her he was going to be a little late coming home. Two police officers arrived within minutes, took the bag and took Nuñez’s statement and information. He said his parents expressed amazement and disbelief when he recounted what had happened, even after he showed them the picture.

“I’ve seen a lot of stuff in 21 years, but this was unique and refreshing for the department and city,” Officer Simon Drobik, an Albuquerque Police Department spokesman, said Saturday. “I think this is the biggest amount of money found in Albuquerque and returned.”

Gilbert Gallegos Jr., another spokesman, said it appeared that a Wells Fargo contractor had intended to put the money in the ATM but had mistakenly left it on the sidewalk.

On Tuesday morning, Nuñez was in Phoenix buying materials for his parents’ mattress business when Drobik called.  “He asked me how was it to be a hero in the town, and at first I didn’t know what he was referring to,” Nuñez said. “But then he started telling me about a ceremony to honor me. He wanted me to take my family there and meet the mayor and the chief of police.”

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