Florida construction worker stumbles across misplaced fortune, what he does next might have saved a life: ‘It’s not mine to keep’

A Florida construction worker just proved how important it is to be a good Samaritan. Luis Salazar found a fanny pack stuffed with $30,000 in cash inside a Wawa restroom on May 3, and instead of walking away with the windfall, he tracked down the rightful owner.

The NY Post reported that the money had been carefully raised for a medical procedure, which rightfully makes Salazar a bit of a hero.

Salazar wasn’t sure what to do when he first spotted the black fanny pack overflowing with cash in the Wawa bathroom. The bills ranged from singles to $100s, but the owner was nowhere in sight. Rather than pocketing the money, he spent the rest of the week trying to reunite it with its owner. The only clue he had was a vague memory of the stranger’s outfit, which made the search even trickier.

Meanwhile, the 24-year-old owner didn’t realize the money was missing until he was already an entire county away. He had just sold his entire childhood Pokémon collection for $30,023 in cash to help pay for his sister’s medical procedure. Hours after sealing the deal, the money vanished. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, my freaking money’s gone. I’m out of all this bread. I don’t know what I’m going to do,’” he stated.

Then things began to fall into place

The owner eventually called local police to report the lost cash, and by May 7, he met Salazar face-to-face at the station. When Salazar handed back the fanny pack with every penny accounted for, the younger man burst into tears and hugged him. 

“Thirty thousand dollars is great, but it’s not mine to keep. I like to earn my money,” Salazar said. He humbly rejected the praise, insisting he “just did the right thing” and didn’t need to be put on a pedestal. The owner even offered to take him out to dinner as a thank-you, but Salazar politely declined.

It’s easy to see why Salazar’s actions are being celebrated, but it’s also worth noting that Florida law would have made keeping the money a risky move. According to McKintosh Law, theft by finding is a crime in the state, and the penalties can be severe. 

If you take a low-value item worth less than $300, you could face a petit theft charge, which carries a penalty of 6 to 12 months in jail and fines ranging from $500 to $1,000. For higher-value items, like the $30,000 Salazar found, the consequences are even steeper. Grand theft charges can result in up to five years in jail and fines as high as $5,000.

Florida’s laws around found property are designed to discourage people from keeping what isn’t theirs. If you stumble across something valuable in a public space, what you should do is turn it in to the police. 

Being a good Samaritan might come with a cost, like paying for the police department’s advertising and storage fees. However, If the true owner claims the item within 90 days, they’re required to reimburse you for those expenses. If no one comes forward, the item becomes yours to keep.

Salazar’s story is a reminder that doing the right thing can have a ripple effect. The owner mentioned that he gave all the cash to his sister a few days after getting it back, though he didn’t specify what medical procedure she needed the money for. So, it is safe to assume that he might have saved her life. Of course, sometimes saving a life can also be quieter. For Salazar, the decision to return the money was simple. “I just did the right thing,” he said.