A Santa Barbara, California, high school junior was on his way home from school last week when he noticed a black purse in the middle of the street. When he went over to investigate, and picked up the purse, he was shocked to find it full of cash. A lot of cash. $10,000 in cash.
Rhami Zeini, 16, says he opened the purse to check the owner’s identification and was surprised when he discovered more money than he had ever seen in his life, reported KCOY-TV.
Zeini took the purse home, discussed it with his parents, and then did the right thing by turning in the purse and its contents to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
“To me, I figured this is the right thing to do,” Zeini told KCOY-TV, “If I take it and find whoever’s purse it was because if the roles were reversed and I had lost something with a significant sum of money inside, I know I would want it back for sure.”
The sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post that an officer was able to contact the owner and return the money to her, adding she “was very grateful.”
A Santa Barbara teen found a purse in the roadway w/ $10,000 dollars inside. We commend him for doing the right thing and turning it in to the Sheriff’s Office. We found the grateful owner. What a great example of doing the right thing even when no one is watching. #sbsheriff pic.twitter.com/iJbOO9dJeW
— SB Sheriff’s Office (@sbsheriff) September 15, 2018
Zeini wasn’t left empty-handed for his good deed. The purse’s owner was so touched by the teen’s honest actions that she gave him a $100 reward for his trouble. Apparently, the owner says she was going on a hike and more than likely left her purse on the roof of her car, before accidentally driving away.
Faith in humanity restored…
