8 other times armored money trucks spilled cash in the road from NC to California
An armored truck with money crashed on Sunset Road in north Charlotte Thursday morning today leaving people in a frenzy, grabbing bills on the street.
While it’s unusual to see money blowing in the wind, it’s not the first time that has happened . Here are some of the other occurrences throughout the U.S. where people tried to take advantage of accidents with trucks hauling cash.
Easton County, Michigan
In July, bags of money were on the side of Interstate 96 in Windsor Township, Michigan. MLive and other outlets reported that the driver of the Loomis truck failed to stop in time for a traffic backup. It hit a vehicle, lost control and overturned in a ditch. The bags had mostly pennies and other small change.
East Rutherford, New Jersey
In 2018, a Brink’s truck filled with cash broke open on a highway in New Jersey. The New York Times reported that drivers took cash and left the scene in East Rutherford. But many people returned the money. Brinks was able to recover $6,000 as a result. One witness looked out at the chaotic scene with a number of people taking the money and running away. “The driver of the Brink’s truck looked like he was laughing and crying at the same time,” the witness told the paper. “He wasn’t mad and yelling at people. He just looked like he thought it was so absurd.”
Atlanta
Money flew from an armored truck on Interstate 285 near Atlanta in 2019. 6abc in Philadelphia received a video of people running to get money. It was unclear how much money was scattered, but a local radio station said at least a dozen drivers pulled over for the cash grab, AP reported at the time. The incident happened when the doors accidentally flew open. Dunwoody Police reported that $175,000 was on the highway. “When you live in Atlanta, this the kind of stuff that happens,” wrote a person who posted a picture of the scene online.
Raleigh
In 2017, a Loomis truck lost a brick of $20 bills on Interstate 40 near the U.S. 1 interchange in Raleigh, the News & Observer reported. The truck’s back door “inadvertently opened as an employee inside the truck was trying to better secure it,” police told the paper. During the incident, drivers pulled over to get money, but they and most of the money was gone by the time police arrived.
Indianapolis
In May 2018, a Brink’s armored truck’s back door swung open during rush hour on Interstate 70, the New York Times reported, as bags of cash containing about $600,000 poured onto the highway. A school bus driver pulled over and was one of the people who grabbed some cash before taking off, the paper reported. Four men in a white pickup scooped up an entire bag then sped away. Another driver tweeted about the scene, saying, “Never thought I’d I see a BRINKS truck accident. 100 dollar bills flying everywhere.”
Carlsbad, California
On Interstate 5 in Carlsbad, California, bags of money burst open after falling out of an armored Sectran Security truck in 2021. KPBS reported that commuters in San Diego County collected the scattered money, with the California Highway Patrol warning people that taking the cash is a crime. The vehicle was going to the Federal Reserve in San Diego with FDIC money. Less than $1 million fell from the truck, KPBS reported. A witness whose video was posted online by KUSI News showed people leaving their cars and hurriedly grabbing the spilled bills. “This is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen,” the woman who shot the video said.
Baltimore
In July 2015, authorities closed the Baltimore’s Harbor Tunnel for nearly seven hours in both directions after cash spilled out of a Brinks armored truck and onto the roadway inside the tunnel, according to McClatchy news reports at the time. A preliminary investigation found that the truck’s back door security malfunctioned. Police refused to say how much money was lost or recovered.
Providence, Rhode Island
In June 2016, a Brinks armored truck was pulling into the main entrance of a hospital when a back door flew open and three large money bags of cash fell into the street, the Providence Journal reported. Just then, a car ran over two of the bags, bursting them open and sending cash flying out into the wind, the paper reported. Brinks workers tried to grab the cash, but at least $20,500 was still missing at the time, authorities said.
This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 2:25 PM with the headline "8 other times armored money trucks spilled cash in the road from NC to California."
