Honest couple returns cash pile scattered across road

Published 10:06 pm Thursday, September 10, 2009

Robin Wolff and Levi Koszorus say they didn’t think twice about what to do after stumbling into a random money grab in the middle of Northeast Eighth Street Aug. 27.

The couple snagged every dancing dollar they could lay a hand on – and then gave what they’d collected to the police.

“I was almost shaking, thinking: somebody’s having a really bad day,” Wolf said.

It ends up that the cash belonged a family man and local contractor who unknowingly lost his rent money, more than $1,100, while driving.

Lucky for him, Wolff and Koszorus picked up the lion’s share, $735, and flagged down the first police officer they could find.

Others at the scene took what they could grab while dodging traffic and made off with the money.

“It was like a feeding frenzy,” Koszorus said. “Everybody just went after it.”

Police tracked down the contractor by calling his mother. Her number was written on a sticky note inside his portfolio, which had also fallen onto the street.

The man had to recite his mother’s number to confirm that the money belonged to him, Iafrate said.

Wolff and Koszorus were picking up supplies at Home Depot when they spotted the cash scattered in the road, but they never considered using it to run up a tab.

“It’s not like we have so much money that it wouldn’t have helped us, but it’s not right to keep it,” Koszorus said.

Wolff had similar thoughts about the situation.

“Money that comes in a bad way goes in a bad way,” she said.

Koszorus, a property manager whose father was a minister, said he thought of his 8-year-old son after handing the money over to police.

“I hope it will be a good lesson for him,” he said. “I think if there’s a chance you can find the person, you do the right thing.”

Police have no suspect information about the people who took off with the rest of the man’s cash.

“They basically stole his money,” Iafrate said.

Only Wolff and Koszorus passed up the chance at a free-for-all.

“There are still some honest people out there,” Iafrate said. “We love that. It’s refreshing.”