Bundles of Cash Pouring onto the Highway... Cars Come to a Halt

Backpack Full of Cash Thrown onto Road in Warren County, Ohio, USA
Road Closed for 1 Hour to Manage Situation... No Report of Cash Loss

Two police officers are picking up money that fell on the road on Highway 71 in Warren County, Ohio, USA. Photo by Ohio Department of Transportation video capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] In broad daylight on a highway in Ohio, USA, a pile of cash spilled onto the road, causing drivers to stop their cars in the middle of the highway and scramble to pick up the money, creating chaos.

According to foreign media including the Daily Mail on the 3rd (local time), the incident occurred around 3:45 PM on the 29th of last month on Highway 71 in Warren County, Ohio. At that time, bundles of cash from an unknown source spilled onto the road, and the money started flying around. Drivers stopped their cars on the highway and got out to pick up the money. The highway quickly turned into a scene of chaos with cars stopped haphazardly and people picking up money.

Police who responded to reports of money flying on the highway closed the southbound lanes for about an hour to manage the scene. Video footage from the Ohio Department of Transportation traffic cameras captured police officers and some drivers trying to collect cash using grocery plastic bags. Police arrested two citizens at the scene for stopping illegally on the highway and picking up money, but no other accidents occurred. It is reported that hundreds of vehicles were stopped on the highway due to this incident.

Witnesses testified, "Someone in a suspicious vehicle passing the highway threw a backpack full of bills out of the car." Based on such statements, the police are investigating the point where the money was thrown by reviewing closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the scene. The police are also investigating whether the bills are counterfeit. No reports of lost cash have been received so far.

Meanwhile, a similar incident occurred in November last year. At that time, the door of a truck passing on Highway 5 in San Diego, USA, opened, and a bag containing a mix of 1-dollar and 20-dollar bills fell onto the road. The money was scattered by the wind, and drivers stopped their cars to pick it up. Some witnesses filmed videos of people happily collecting the money and posted them on their social networking services (SNS).

Police investigations revealed that this accident happened because the rear door of a bank cash transport vehicle accidentally opened, causing two bags of money to fall out. The police warned, "Such acts are theft, and if the money is not returned within 48 hours, those who picked up the money will be tracked and criminally charged."

At that time, local police and the FBI said they had sufficient video evidence to identify those who picked up the money. It is reported that at least 12 citizens voluntarily returned the money they had picked up afterward.