Server finds two envelopes stuffed with $10,000 inside Chick-fil-A bathroom. He was offered a $500 reward — but turned it down for one reason
One envelope was labeled First Citizens Bank and carried around $5,000, while the second one was labeled Truist Bank and carried $4,333
“Okay, no, this isn’t happening. Something is wrong.” These thoughts were zipping through the mind of Jaydon Cintron when he entered the restroom of Chick-fil-A at Kinston, North Carolina, where he worked. It was April 3rd, Good Friday, and unbeknownst to the 18-year-old, fate had enticed him with a difficult test of character. According to an April 6 report by NBC affiliate WITN, Cintron found nearly $10,000 that day in the restroom. Rather than snatching the money when nobody was watching, he returned it to the respective owner, and even refused a reward for his benevolence.
It was break time, and Cintron walked into the restroom. That’s when his eyes fell upon two white envelopes somewhere on the floor. One envelope was labeled First Citizens Bank and carried around $5,000, while the second one was labeled Truist Bank and carried $4,333. Instead of being seduced by the generous amount, he cultivated an altruistic attitude, picked up the envelopes, and brought them to Human Resources. In conversation with PEOPLE, he remarked that he just “happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
More than the money, he said, his faith teaches him to do what’s right and to care for others, exactly as he did. "Knowing how devastating it would be to lose something like that, I just wanted to make sure it got back to its owner. I’m grateful I could help and I’m humbled by the response," the restaurant worker elucidated. Reflecting on the episode, Kinston Police Chief Keith Goyette told WITN that, “a lot of people will, unfortunately, take that money and run with it, but kudos to that employee at Chick-Fil-A, [he] definitely deserves a reward.”
At first, the fast food restaurant’s staff even tried to check the security footage to find where the money came from, but with poor luck. Eventually, the owner reached out to the police to claim their money, and offered a $500 reward to Cintron. “I don't want anything out of this,” Cintron plainly refused the offer because “that’s not what Jesus would have done. That’s not what God would have wanted.” Money, he said, is useless without character. He kept on declining the offer, but after being nudged again and again, he finally accepted it.
Turns out the world is still running on more positivity than deceit, greed, and negativity. A 2019 study published in the journal Science found that people are more likely to return a lost wallet than keep it, especially if the sum involved is large. Researchers scattered 17,000 lost wallets in 40 countries, across places like police stations, hotels, post offices, and theaters. The wallets contained a few things that would make them look real — business cards, grocery lists, and a key. Some wallets had no money while others carried an equivalent of $13, which was eventually increased to $100. Analysis of the survey reported that nearly 61% of people returned the wallets with $13, and nearly 76% returned the ones with $100.
This generation makes it look like the world is in the right hands today, in the hands of a true leader, we can say. ”True leadership, you know, true integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching,“ Chick-fil-A owner John McPhaul shared with WITN. ”Jaydon did that in this case, and he should be commended for it.”
More on Scoop Upworthy
Share on Facebook
