By Brett Gillin
Just about all of us have had some variation of this daydream at one point in our lives. There you are, going about your normal, daily routine when suddenly, something seemingly miraculous happens. There, right before your eyes, appears out of nowhere, a load of cash. Just sitting there in the street! While you think about what you’d do with the money, whether you’d search out its rightful owner, go on an extravagant vacation, or pay down your debts, it can be a fun debate to have with your friends. However, if you happen to live in Baltimore, and happen to have been driving in the Harbor Tunnel last week only to have this fantasy turn into a reality, the police would like to have a quick word with you.
On Wednesday night, the Maryland Transportation Authority Police say that a Brinks armored truck was driving through the Harbor Tunnel when something went terribly awry. The back door flew open and a large amount of currency began raining down on the street. Police quickly shut down the tunnel to recover the money, but they weren’t quite fast enough to grab it all.
According to this article in CBS News, the door of the Brinks truck malfunctioned and spilled money into the street and directly into the path of the cars behind it. Some of the drivers saw it as an opportunity to quickly supplement their income, so they pulled over and started snatching up the cash. The only problem was, this wasn’t a case of free-money, finder’s keeper’s style. In fact, according to police, this was theft, plain and simple.
“I think it’s important that we remember that this is somebody else’s currency,” Sgt. Jonathan Green of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police told in Baltimore.
Now, police are asking that anyone who picked up this “free money” return it immediately or face charges. Lest these drivers think there’s no way they could get caught, the police have some news for them.
“I think it’s important that people realize there are cameras in the tunnel,” Sgt. Green told reporters. Due to the ongoing investigation, police have not released exactly how much cash was spilled out onto the highway, nor have the figures of what’s still missing been made public yet.
