An Oregon man says he tossed hundreds of thousands of dollars from his car onto a local highway as a good deed.
KVAL reports that the man—38-year-old Colin Davis McCarthy from Eugene, Oregon—threw $200,000 from his vehicle onto Interstate 5 at around 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday. Someone reported the incident to the Oregon State Police, with authorities later finding the vehicle close by and getting in touch with McCarthy.
McCarthy told police he was “doing well and wanted to bless others with gifts of money.” However, his family later told investigators that he allegedly drained their shared bank accounts. The $200,000 was reportedly mostly gathered by 8 p.m. the same day; motorists pulled over on the highway to collect it, which was a danger to other drivers and poorly affected traffic flow.
“The people that originally stopped on the scene did a pretty good job of cleaning it all up,” OSP Lieutenant Jim Andrews told the news outlet.
Disposing of money in this way can lead to risks, with OSP worried that the bills could be hazards to other drivers. “He could have been charged in a situation like this for danger being created because of his actions—disorderly conduct, potentially reckless endangering, but most likely disorderly conduct,” Andrews said.
McCarthy wasn’t charged and officers persuaded him to stop tossing money. The man’s family has now asked the cash be given to the authorities.
