College student and aspiring CSI returns $135,000 found outside ATM

Nunez-Romaniz (second from left) receives a plaque for his honesty. Pictured with his are (left to right) his mother Carmen Romaniz, Albuquerque police chief Mike Geier, and his father Jose Nunez-Juarez. Photo: Facebook/Albuquerque Police Department

What would you do if you found a huge sum of money at an ATM machine? Keep it or try to find the owner?

CNN and New York Times recently reported an incident involving nineteen-year-old Jose Nunez-Romaniz who found a bundle of cash on the ground while at an ATM machine close to his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States.

The young man was reported as saying that he stared at the cash for a few seconds at first, shocked and not knowing what to do because he had never seen so much money before.

But the thought of keeping the cash never crossed the mind of the criminal justice student at Central New Mexico Community College. Other thoughts did race through his mind though. He even thought it was a trick or that someone might jump out and try to mug him.

In the end, Nunez-Romaniz decided to call the Albuquerque police department at 911 because the bank was closed as it was a Sunday.

When two police officers arrived, Nunez-Romaniz handed them the cash, which he had put in his truck for safekeeping.

They counted it at the station and discovered US$60,000 in US$20 bills and US$75,000 in US$50 bills that totalled US$135,000. They discovered that a bank subcontractor who was supplying the machine with cash had instead accidentally left the money on the sidewalk outside the ATM.

Albuquerque police officer Simon Drobik was quoted as saying: “The money could have made an incredible difference in his life if he chose the other path, but he chose to do the right thing.”

Four days later (on Thursday), Nunez-Romaniz was honoured in a ceremony outside the Albuquerque police academy. He was presented with a plaque by Albuquerque police chief Mike Geier. His proud parents Carmen Romaniz and Jose Nunez Juarez were at the ceremony, which was attended by about 50 people.

When Geier presented Nunez-Romaniz with the plaque, he also invited the “aspiring detective and criminal scene investigator” to apply for a job as a public service aide at the police department.

Local businesses also presented Nunez with some gifts, including gift cards, signed sports memorabilia, football season tickets, and cash of US$500 (from three businesses each).

How life turns out depends a lot on the choices we make each day. Photo: Filepic

Nunez-Romaniz, whose family comes from “humble beginnings” (his parents immigrated from Mexico over 20 years ago, and progressed from working on a farm, dishwashing and construction, to now operating a small business), was quoted as saying that nobody in his family had ever seen that much cash in their lives before. He adds that he was reminded of the good values his parents taught him while he was growing up.

“My parents always taught me to work hard for a living. Stolen money would never last long, ” says the first year college student.

He called his mother immediately after contacting the police. He reveals that his mother said that he did the right thing and she was proud of him. She was crying.

"At the back of my mind, I heard my mum's voice and her 'chancla' (a very real and humorous threat of a slipper spanking to keep children on the right path)," he concludes.