What would you do if you stumbled upon a huge pile of cash? Would you be tempted to take it and pray not to get yourself in trouble, or would you return it to the rightful owner?
Many people would probably choose to grab the cash and leave, but there are also those who wouldn’t hesitate to do the right thing.
19-year-old boy named José Nuñez Romaniz of Albuquerque, New Mexico, went to the ATM to withdraw some cash in order to buy socks for his grandpa. Just around the corner, next to the machine, he noticed a bag full of money. He looked around to see if the owner is anywhere near, but no one seemed to be looking for the money.
Romaniz took the bag and called the number on the ATM. He then alerted the police of the money and waited for them to arrive.
According to KRQE, the bag contained $135,000 in total. That’s a lot of money that can change one’s life drastically.
Romaniz could choose to take it and spend it, but he knew he needed to do what was right.
“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 [a flip-flop] to hit me,” he said jokingly. “I did the right thing and I know my parents are proud and my family is proud as well.”
It turned that the money was left behind accidentally by the subcontractor who was supposed to fill the ATM.
For his good deed, Romaniz was honored by Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Mike Geier.
“Man, we all know that temptation… Even just to take a little, just one of those bundles off the top! I mean that had to be really hard,” Mayor Keller joked.
“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,” Chief Geier added.
Everyone agreed that with young people like Romaniz we don’t have to fear about the future of our country.
PNM gave Romaniz $500 for tuition, and El Patron gave him an additional $500 in cash, plus a gift card. ESPN Radio gifted the family season tickets for the University of New Mexico’s football team.
Thank you Romaniz for doing what’s right.
If you are ineterested to learn more of the story and see how this young man was honored go to the video below.