Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2177916/chaos-and-crashes-drivers-dash-cash-spilled-armoured
World/ United States & Canada

Chaos and crashes as drivers dash for cash spilled by armoured truck on New Jersey highway

  • Some drivers abandoned their cars to scoop up the blizzard of banknotes
Drivers abandon their cars on a New Jersey highway to gather up cash the fell pout of an armoured truck. Photo: Twitter

Police in New Jersey on Thursday urged people who grabbed banknotes that spilled out of the back of an armoured truck to return the cash, no questions asked.

The cash spill led to two crashes as drivers “went a little bit crazy” to grab the swirling money.

The frenzy happened during morning rush hour in East Rutherford, near MetLife Stadium.

In online videos, a man in uniform is seen running through traffic trying to collect money, while others exited their cars to do the same.

“People went a little bit crazy when they saw the money,” said Danielle Shah, 29, of Bloomfield, New Jersey, who witnessed the incident from a bus she was riding into New York. “I mean, it seemed like the people who got out of the car – they just didn’t care. They parked their cars in the middle of the highway.”

A Brink’s truck idled in the right shoulder with its lights flashing as the bills blew around the highway. One video showed the bashed-in front end of a sedan as traffic crawled through the blizzard of bills.

Police said the chaos led to two crashes, though it’s unclear whether anyone was injured.

Police Captain Phil Taormina said it appeared that the armoured vehicle had an issue with the lock on one of its doors.

In a statement, Brink’s confirmed the truck belonged to the company and said an investigation is under way, but declined further comment.

East Rutherford police said they don’t know how much money spilled, but asked for any that had been grabbed to be handed in. As of Thursday evening, they said some cash had been handed over but did say how much.

“We have had several individuals contact ERPD & return money,” police said in a tweet. “We would like to advise people if they have any money connected to this incident to contact ERPD ... to make arrangements for its return with no charges filed.”

These kinds of spills have happened before.

In May, a Brink’s truck spilled hundreds of thousands of dollars on an Indianapolis interstate when its back doors swung open. A similar incident unfolded in Maryland in 2012, though only about US$6,000 spilled out then.

In Hong Kong in 2015, HK$15 million (US$1.9 million) poured out onto a busy road. Several people who scooped up the cash were arrested. Only about half of the money was recovered.

Additional reporting by Reuters