Wow I just read this story from here: http://www.newsday.com/news/yahoo/ny-licash1217,0,2600559.story
What would you do in that situation?
| Please Use Quote Tags wrote: |
Imagine stumbling upon $24,000 cash. What would you do with the money?
The untraceable wad of $100 bills, rubber-banded together inside a zippered bank pouch, tumbled unnoticed from the purse of RoseMarie Limoncelli, 39, as she sat Friday inside the AMC Fantasy theater in Rockville Centre.
Christopher Montgomery, 19, found the money as he was cleaning between seats.
The Lynbrook student returned it. Every dollar.
"I was shocked," Limoncelli said. "It's so commendable to see a teenager do something so wonderful for someone else. My life could have been flipped upside down."
Montgomery, a liberal arts student at Nassau Community College, yesterday was reluctant to talk about his choice.
"He won't come out; he's not the type of kid that likes attention," said his mother, Donna Montgomery, 49, outside the family's Lynbrook home. "He said, 'It's no big deal.' I think he's embarrassed."
But for the Hewlett woman who nearly lost the $24,000, it was a very big deal indeed. Before recovering the cash, Limoncelli endured what amounted to a brief waking nightmare.
Limoncelli runs a business, and like many this time of year, she's been a bit harried lately.
"It's the holidays and I'm running in all different directions and trying to do my shopping in between," she said.
On Friday, she still hadn't made it to the bank when it came time to accompany her 8-year-old daughter, Sabrina, to see "Happy Feet" at 7:15 p.m.
Halfway through the film, Sabrina climbed onto Limoncelli's lap. To make room for her daughter, Limoncelli slid the purse under her seat, where it tipped over. The bank pouch must have fallen out in the dark, she said.
On the way home, mother and daughter stopped for ice cream. In line at the cash register, pint of Häagen-Dazs in hand, Limoncelli made the the blood-chilling discovery. The deposit bag was gone.
"My heart stopped," she said. "My whole body was shaking."
Frantic, she called her husband at home. The money wasn't there. She dialed information for the movie theater's number -- and was apoplectic when they placed her on hold.
"It was like the longest two minutes of my life," she said. "I screamed at the operator when she tried to give me the address and I said, 'I don't care, just give me the number!' ... I was hysterical, crying."
When she called the theater, Limoncelli experienced the holiday miracle she will likely recount for years to come.
After examining the cash, Christopher Montgomery had handed the pouch over to his manager.
Limoncelli said he refused a cash reward, but she hopes he'll at least accept a gift certificate to P.C. Richard & Son.
"I always tell my kids, 'I believe: a good deed -- you do one, you get one in return,'" Donna Montgomery said.
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[edit: Sorry about posting this like 7 times. I meant to hit edit, But i pressed back a few times and submit a few times... sorry] Moved to Discuss World News forum.
Wah crazy. I would probably return it as well though. I get HORRIBLE guilt trips when I know I didn't do the right thing.
and then he even refused a cash reward? 
I mean I probably would have returned it but I would have accepted a reward. (I would probably be expecting one 
)
anyway what was she doing with 24k (in cash) lying around! 
I would have returned it too, But I think the woman sould give him a big reward, a really bigone.
It's easy to say you wouldn've returned it, because we haven't stumbled upon the situation. A free, quick $24K - would you really turn it in? It's great to see a fellow teen doing good, I mean we're supposed to be self-centered ingrates at this age.
Have to agree with Soulfire, I would like to think I would hand it over, but 24k? If I said I wouldn't be tempted to keep it I would be lieing...
Commendable to see that he gave it over, would love to know what he was thinking when he found the money though, I refuse to believe it was an easy decision.
It is not a really big amount of money, 24k can be made in a year or less easily, And if the amount of money is what matters in order to decide to return it or not I would say that I probably will not return more than a million dollars. Why? because that is a more serious amount of money and it would very difficult for some individual to make it and if he did that money should not be on the street, it should be in bank. And if this big money is not in a bank it would be probably because it icomes from a questionable source, so it could not be consedered a hard earned buck.
I think it would be difficult for me NOT to return it. I'd definitely have to do it.
The amount is somewhat huge to keep with one. If its about 2, 3 hundred dollars it may be easier to retain with.. but something like this is frightening nevertheless it shows how honest this teenager is. If something like this happens in poor, third world countries... I'm not so sure if it will ever be returned to the owner.... 
I am ashamed to say I'm not sure that I would have been so altruistic. I would hope that I would do the honest thing and return the money, however it would be tempting... Then again, I'm sure if he would have kept the money, he probably would have died a little inside. That is, if he had any kind of moral upbringing.
If i came across it I have no idea what i would do. I can't predict what would happen as i would probably be filled with a variety of different emotions
This guy is a hero – not just for returning the money for what he has done to enhance the reputation of teenagers everywhere. Teens get such a bad press all the time but to read someone doing such a selfless act like this is truly heart warming – it is easy to forget that good people are out there in the shadows too. Plus to refuse a cash reward shows me that this young man has his priorities in life right – he clearly is not money orientated.
$24,000 is a lot of cash when you put it into real terms. Especially when you consider that she is a businesswoman and who knows how much of that $24,000 actually belongs to her. She has bills to pay, maybe rent on a store, a mortgage patment, who knows how far reaching losing that money might be?
If she had lost the cash there may not have been an option to make the money up again in a year or so – it could have meant the end of her, and her family’s livelihood right there and then.
Many business people work hard every day for very little, if any, profit - they are not all rich. When you think about this returning the money to the woman who has a young child seems like the only thing to do. Of course it is easy simply to think, “Woah! I’ve found $24k, it’s mine now. I can now by those sneakers/that PS3/Insert any luxury items here!”
So instead of the lady’s business continuing a selfish kid gets a ton of useless junk. Useless in the general scheme of things.
Also, my initial thought was that if the money was so important why was she sitting in the middle of a movie theatre with it, but in real life we all do things like this, maybe on a different scale but we can all do things that are not so smart.
I can’t honestly say what I would have done. The way my finances are I wouldn’t lie and say I would certainly have returned it but the Christian in me has to believe that I would do the right thing. I believe I am a good person deep in my heart and hope I would have returned t – one thing is for sure, if a financial reward was offered I would not have turned it down.
This kid's parents should be hugely proud, thay have clearly done a great job in raising a fine son.
i'd give most of it to charity! and use the rest to pay off any debts i might have in the future.
is actually good to see people like that in this world. i mean we need more people like that. personally, i wouldn't give it back just because my situation requires moneyto help make it better. but i mean i wouldn't go out and do something drastic with the money. but im glad there are youngpeople who would actualyl give it back. kudos!
absolutely.
Nice to see the world hasn't completely gone to the dogs just yet.
I'm 21, and would like to believe that I too would hand the money in.
I think the only thing worse than carrying 24k in cash would be to take that cash, go down to the ghetto, and wave it around...
Still, a commendable deed. It's only what's expected, right?
I think I'd hand it in. I've been brought up to always do the right thing, and I'd feel horribly guilty not handing it in.
Mind you, I'd accept a cash reward if it was offered.
$24k is a lot money, and he don't even want the cash reward?
OMG, he is really honest and hero for the money owner.
When i will have this chances?
I'll also return the money but at least i'll want the cash reward.
I have no idea what I'd do. I wanna say I'd probably keep it, but something inside me says I might actually return it.
why do I WANT to say I'd keep it? well i wouldn't lie to you, lol
I've got a kid, student loans, etc
I mean really... you have to stop and think... why does this person have 24000 in unmarked bills sittin in a bag? Most of the time, this would be a drug dealer or something else. And there was nothing in this story to suggest otherwise. She's a mother. heh, wouldn't be the first drug dealin mom 
Anyway, the teen is a better person than I think I would be.. but there is a chance I would return it if I found myself in this situation.. who knows? I've never been there I'd return it but hope that I get some of it, as a reward.
Dunno if this has been answered, didn't really bother to look through the posts, but...
| dray101 wrote: |
| anyway what was she doing with 24k (in cash) lying around! |
She didn't have it laying around, if you read it, it said that she was going to bank it. ;P
i probably would have returned it. I mean think about it, if you found 24k laying around, you'd have to think it were for someones home payment, car payment, something that's important and if not payed for could put them in debt.
It's good to see that not all teenagers are greedy, as most put off. Lucky man and also little crazy. He will see after some years when he will have a job how bad move he made. My opinion is that he doesen't really know how much hard is to earn some money. At least he could take a reward.
if he had been took that money that money wont bring him anything maybe he will do great jobs and earn money with that money but he will feel its someone elses his life will be someones...think about it like an angle when you put a dot near start point it s track will be very long....
He found the money and he returned it and I respect him for that.
I mean in a world where one slits another man's throat for money, this guy actually went to the extent of returning the cash to the woman who lost it.
Till now all you people were thinking from the perspective of the guy who found it. Maybe he did find it but it wasn't his cash.
What about the woman who lost the cash? Ever wondered how badly she might have needed the cash?
You earn it you spend it. But spending what you found on yourself is one of the most lamest and the most gay thing to do.
I appreciate that the guy returned the money and am pretty sure that if he couldnt trace back the money to its owner, he would surely donate it to charity or give it to the cops...not spend it one himself like some loser suggested..!!
Wow, he's definitely won my respect. I would've probably been conflicted in more ways than one if I found a wad of $24,000 during one of my jobs (I'd love to have that much); it definitely shows that the "dog-eat-dog world" quite a few people advertise doesn't reign supreme.
