in a wild show of generosity. His family says he drained their bank accounts, leaving them broke.
A man threw stacks of $100 bills from his car window in a wild show of generosity. His family says he drained their bank accounts, leaving them broke.
887
Joshua Zitser
Fri, April 14, 2023 at 6:37 AM EDT
A screenshot from a news report shows a bystander who found several $100 bills on the Interstate 5 freeway after it was hurled from a vehicle.KEZI 9
But the family of Colin Davis McCarthy, 38, told Oregon State Police that he drained their shared bank accounts to fund the stunt, leaving them broke.
Police responded to a report of money being thrown out of a vehicle around 7 p.m. on Tuesday on the freeway near Eugene, Oregon, per ABC News affiliate KEZI 9.
The news outlet identified McCarthy as the man throwing the money. He later told troopers that he distributed about $200,000 in total, KEZI 9 reported.
Officials said the figure was uncertain but was likely lower, in the thousands of dollars, according to the CBS affiliate KUTV. News footage showed that at least some of the cash was in $100 bills, suggesting a large total.
McCarthy said he threw the cash out of his car because he wanted to "bless others with gifts of money," KUTV reported police saying.
Dozens of bystanders stopped to grab the cash, which was almost completely gone by 8 p.m. Oregon State Police Lt. Andrews said people did a "pretty good job of cleaning it all up," per KEZI 9.
Police said they warned McCarthy to stop throwing the money because it was dangerous for people to be running on the I-5 in the dark, per KEZI 9. They said he took the advice.
McCarthy ultimately wasn't charged with a crime or cited, but Andrews said officers considered it because of the danger it caused on the road, per KEZI 9.
But while several bystanders benefited from the stunt on Tuesday, his family said they've been left penniless.
A relative of McCarthy told police that he had gained the money by draining his family's shared bank accounts, but police said it is unlikely they will get it back, KEZI 9 reported.
"Because it's shared, they both have equal interests in the money," Andrews said, per the local media outlet, meaning that anybody with access to the account is able to take all the money and use it as they see fit.
The family said that although it's unlikely to happen, they want people who found the cash to return it to Oregon State Police, per KEZI 9.
Oregon State Police did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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A man threw stacks of $100 bills from his car window in a wild show of generosity. His family says he drained their bank accounts, leaving them broke.
887
Joshua Zitser
Fri, April 14, 2023 at 6:37 AM EDT
A screenshot from a news report shows a bystander who found several $100 bills on the Interstate 5 freeway after it was hurled from a vehicle.KEZI 9
- Several bystanders stopped on a freeway to grab cash after an Oregon man threw it from his car.
- The man told police he hurled around $200,000 to "bless others," a report says.
- A relative told police the cash came from their shared bank accounts, leaving them broke.
But the family of Colin Davis McCarthy, 38, told Oregon State Police that he drained their shared bank accounts to fund the stunt, leaving them broke.
Police responded to a report of money being thrown out of a vehicle around 7 p.m. on Tuesday on the freeway near Eugene, Oregon, per ABC News affiliate KEZI 9.
The news outlet identified McCarthy as the man throwing the money. He later told troopers that he distributed about $200,000 in total, KEZI 9 reported.
Officials said the figure was uncertain but was likely lower, in the thousands of dollars, according to the CBS affiliate KUTV. News footage showed that at least some of the cash was in $100 bills, suggesting a large total.
McCarthy said he threw the cash out of his car because he wanted to "bless others with gifts of money," KUTV reported police saying.
Dozens of bystanders stopped to grab the cash, which was almost completely gone by 8 p.m. Oregon State Police Lt. Andrews said people did a "pretty good job of cleaning it all up," per KEZI 9.
Police said they warned McCarthy to stop throwing the money because it was dangerous for people to be running on the I-5 in the dark, per KEZI 9. They said he took the advice.
McCarthy ultimately wasn't charged with a crime or cited, but Andrews said officers considered it because of the danger it caused on the road, per KEZI 9.
But while several bystanders benefited from the stunt on Tuesday, his family said they've been left penniless.
A relative of McCarthy told police that he had gained the money by draining his family's shared bank accounts, but police said it is unlikely they will get it back, KEZI 9 reported.
"Because it's shared, they both have equal interests in the money," Andrews said, per the local media outlet, meaning that anybody with access to the account is able to take all the money and use it as they see fit.
The family said that although it's unlikely to happen, they want people who found the cash to return it to Oregon State Police, per KEZI 9.
Oregon State Police did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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