Passersby grab $300K in bills after security truck accidentally spills cash in Illinois
It was raining money in Illinois after the back door of an armored truck accidentally opened and dropped almost $300,000 in cash.
The security truck, operated by Brinks Home Security Company, was traveling southbound on Austin Boulevard in Oak Park, about 10 miles west of Chicago, around 5 p.m. on April 22 when its "back door opened by unknown means" and dropped three bags of cash, Village of Oak Park said in an email to Paste BN April 29.
When the driver returned to the location where the door had opened, they saw "between 50-100 people removing money from the scene and fleeing the area both on foot and in vehicles," authorities said, adding the total loss was estimated to be $300,000.
Investigation ongoing
Village of Oak Park spokesperson Dan Yopchick said Oak Park Police Department is investigating the incident and anyone wishing to share information on the incident can do so anonymously by calling 708-464-1636 or visiting www.oak-park.us/crimetip. Authorities did not mention if any arrests had been made.
In a statement, Brinks referred Paste BN to law enforcement agencies and declined to comment further on the incident, citing employee safety.
Not the first time a truck spilled cash
Last week's incident was not the first time money has fallen out of a moving truck in recent years.
In November 2021, the door of an armored truck reportedly "popped open" in California on the Interstate 5 freeway near San Diego, prompting drivers to stop their cars to pick up the "bags of cash" that fell out, the San Diego Tribune reported, citing California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Bettencourt.
“It was free-floating bills all over the freeway," Bettencourt had said, with authorities noting the bills flying across the lanes were primarily $1 and $20 bills.
Prior to that, in May 2018, the door of a Brinks armored truck opened and spilled packages of money across 1-70 in Indianapolis, IndyStar, part of the Paste BN Network reported.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
(This article was updated to include video.)