If you came across a large sum of money, what would you do?
Some people might be tempted to take the money, but many others would act with honesty and integrity. The second is true for 19-year-old José Nuñez Romaniz from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
When José Nuñez Romaniz went to an ATM to withdraw money to purchase socks for his grandfather, he spotted a bag of money next to the machine. The teenager the looked around to see if anyone was searching for the bag. He immediately called the number on the ATM and reported the situation to the police, waiting patiently for them to arrive.
KRQE reported that the bag contained $135,000 in total. That’s a lot of money that can change one’s life drastically.
While Romaniz could choose to take it and spend it, he knew he needed to do what was right.
“In the back of my head, I was just thinking about my parents, especially my mom. What she would do if I came home with the money and… what she would do with her chancla [a flip-flop] to hit me,” he said jokingly. “I did the right thing and I know my parents are proud and my family is proud as well.”
It turned out that the money was left behind accidentally by the subcontractor who was supposed to fill the ATM.
With his good deed, Romaniz was honored by Mayor Tim Keller and Police Chief Mike Geier.
“Man, we all know that temptation… Even just to take a little, just one of those bundles off the top! I mean that had to be really hard,” Mayor Keller joked.
“What a great opportunity for us to see some good in the community with all the tragedies we see with young people, this really restores our faith in the community as well,” Chief Geier added.
Everyone agreed that with young people like Romaniz we don’t have to fear about the future of our country.
PNM gave Romaniz $500 for tuition, and El Patron gave him an additional $500 in cash, plus a gift card. ESPN Radio gifted the family season tickets for the University of New Mexico’s football team.
Thank you Romaniz for doing what’s right.
Watch the video for more details
