Technically, taking cash that doesn’t belong to you is against the law, and you really shouldn’t break the law. But good luck explaining that to the crowd of people who just got a whole bunch of free money when multiple bags of cash fell out of an armored truck driving through a Chicago-area suburb, as reported by NBC Chicago. According to the letter of the law, that cash may be stolen, but unfortunately for whatever insurance company is responsible, when a large amount of cash falls on the ground, the natural law of “finders keepers” trumps your weak, society laws, and there isn’t much you can do about it.
According to the complaint filed with the cops, a Brinks Home Security Company truck was driving through Oak Park, a suburb west of Chicago that architecture fans may remember was once the home of Frank Lloyd Wright, when the back door opened due to “unknown means.” That may make it sound like a couple of expert thieves came out of retirement and needed financing to perform one last job, but it seems just as likely that a Brinks employee just didn’t close it correctly. Could that someone have been an insider the thieves planted to ensure they got the money they needed? You can’t prove it wasn’t.
It’s our money now
When the door opened, three bags of cash (allegedly!) fell onto the street, causing witnesses to react the only way anyone would if they saw thousands of dollars appear on the street right in front of them — by grabbing as much as they could and running off. The news report from CBS Chicago embedded above mentions the driver allegedly saw “dozens of people” taking cash, while NBC Chicago reports that Brinks claims the driver saw between 50 and 100 people. Whatever the actual number of people was, they reportedly made off with about $300,000.
That isn’t very much per person, so it isn’t like anyone got rich, but on the other hand, who couldn’t use an extra $5,000 or so? That kind of money doesn’t go nearly as far as it used to anymore, but it would at least cover a few dozen eggs next time you’re at the grocery store. As of Friday, an Oak Park spokesperson told NBC Chicago there have been no arrests related to the alleged theft of the alleged cash. How they’d catch someone who allegedly took some money they found on the ground, I don’t know, but surely it isn’t worth the police resources it would take to track any of these people down, right? They have to have better things to do with their time.
And remember, if you think you saw something or know someone who found some of that cash, no, you don’t.