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Money

Drivers Went Nuts When This Truck Dropped Thousands in Cash on the Highway

Cops say even a school bus driver ran out to collect some of the loose cash.
Screenshots via Facebook user Jazmyne Danae.

It's not every day that free money actually falls off the back of a truck—most of the time, thieves resort to their own creative heists to varying degrees of success. But on Wednesday, drivers heading down the I-70 in Indiana were treated to a flurry of free cash after hundreds of thousands of dollars spilled out of a Brinks truck, CBS affiliate WTTV reports.

According to WTTV, drivers hit their breaks and ran out of their cars onto the highway to collect the free payday like some kind of Frogger game show. Some even climbed over fences and into the nearby grassy ditches to get their hands on some of the cash.

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"The other vehicle that we had a confirmed report of was a school bus," Indiana State Police Corporal Brock McCooe told WTTV. "The driver stopped, got out, collected some loose bills, got back in his vehicle, and continued."

Troopers on the scene initially estimated up to $600,000 fell from the truck when the back doors flew open, but police later said the precise sum remains unclear. Officers tried to recover as much money as possible, but it’s not clear how much the Hoosiers actually made off with.

"I guess it’s not every day you see thousands of dollars just floating around on the interstate during your morning commute," McCooe said. "Sort of something out of a movie scene, where you have bills, loose bills flying all over the interstate, vehicles stopping, people getting out of their cars."

McCooe has reminded the public of the mundane reality that lifting loose bills off the roadway is literally highway robbery, and still considered theft. He's urged all good citizens to return any money pinched amid the hysteria—like the white pickup truck full of guys who allegedly managed to nab an entire bag of cash.

"If you’re willing to, in good conscience, turn [the money] back in, there’s amnesty, there’s no real questions asked if you’re willing to give it back," he said.

That's great and all, unless you've already blown the haul on your newfound lavish lifestyle.

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