A Florida man recently found himself in a remarkable situation when he stumbled upon a fanny pack containing $30,000 in cash inside a Wawa restroom. Instead of taking the money for himself, he embarked on a days-long quest to find the rightful owner, who had sold his beloved Pokémon collection to fund his sister’s medical treatment.
Construction worker Luis Salazar was taken aback when he came across the fanny pack filled with cash—ranging from singles to $100 bills—during a visit to the Wawa store on May 3. Despite the significant amount of money, the owner was nowhere to be found.
Choosing integrity over personal gain, Salazar dedicated the following week to tracking down the person who had left the fanny pack behind. His search was hampered by the fact that he had no clues to the owner’s identity, other than a vague memory of what the person was wearing.
Meanwhile, the 24-year-old owner only realized he had lost the substantial sum after traveling to a different county.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God, my money’s gone. I’ve lost all of it. I have no idea what I’m going to do,’” the man shared with WPBF, describing his panic.
Speaking to The Washington Post, the man, who wished to remain unnamed, explained that he had cashed in his childhood Pokémon card collection for $30,023 to help finance his younger sister’s necessary medical procedure.
And mere hours after sealing the deal, the money was in the wind.
The caring older brother eventually phoned the local cops asking about his lost fortune â and by May 7, he was meeting Salazar face-to-face at the station.
Salazar told the outlet that the younger man burst into tears and hugged him when he handed back the fanny pack with every penny accounted for.
â$30,000 is great, but itâs not mine to keep. I like to earn my money,” Salazar said.
Salazar humbly rejected the praise lauded on him. The relieved owner even offered to take him out to dinner, but he politely declined.
âI just did the right thing. I donât need to be put on a pedestal,â he insisted.
The owner said he gave all the money to his sister a few days later. He didn’t specify what medical procedure she required the money for.
