Just Because You Find $150K Sitting Around Doesn’t Mean You Get To Keep It, Buy A New Car

(Tracy O)

One might think that the average adult would be aware that the playground rule of “finders, keepers” doesn’t apply to most situations in life that aren’t scavenger hunts. But one would be wrong, if the police investigating the theft of a bag filled with $150,000 in cash are correct.

Authorities say a man picked up the bag, which was left outside a New Jersey business by ATM workers on Monday, and took the money home, reports the Associated Press.

Not content to simply rest on a pile of cash, police say he took some of that money and bought an SUV with it a few hours after the find. His time with the new Chevrolet Tahoe was short-lived, as police arrested him on Wednesday as one of two suspects they believe made off with the bag of moolah.

Police said a white van caught on surveillance video pulling up to the loot had a passenger who hopped out to grab the cash. That same van was seen in another video where the suspects allegedly stole tires from an auto repair business.

The suspect was arrested after police found the van. He said he was driving it and admitted that an SUV — valued at about $46,000 and found nearby — had been bought soon after the grab. He was charged with theft of mislaid property, or what we will call violating the “anti-finders keepers law.”

Police issued a warrant for the arrest of the van’s passenger, who is also wanted for a probation violation.

Cops: Man buys car after taking $150,000 left by ATM workers [Associated Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist