Dash for loose cash snarls suburb traffic
Sun-times media March 12, 2013 10:10PM
Police recovered $312 near Port Clinton Road and Route 45 in Vernon Hills after dollar bills were seen coming from a passing car on Monday morning. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: April 14, 2013 6:52AM
It’s no mystery what happens when $10 and $100 bills are let loose to blow around a busy north suburban intersection during rush hour.
Traffic jam.
But it is a mystery where the money came from when that happened earlier this week in Vernon Hills.
“We can only speculate that either someone did this on purpose or perhaps had left a bank deposit on the roof of their car which then opened up,” said police spokeswoman Sharon Joseph.
It happened at about 5:30 p.m. Monday near Port Clinton Road and Route 45 in the Lake County suburb.
Traffic snarled when people stopped and dashed out of their cars to collect the $100 and $10 bills, police said. Remarkably, no accidents or injuries were reported.
The source of the windfall is unknown.
No one reported any burglaries, thefts or muggings in Vernon Hills over the weekend or on Monday, Joseph said.
Police later recovered $312, but it’s unknown how much cash was picked up by drivers. The recovered loot doesn’t appear to be stolen or fake.
“No one has claimed losing the money at this time, but we’re cautioning people who picked up the money that they can be charged with theft of lost or mislaid property if they don’t turn in the money and wait the required time before claiming it,” Joseph said.
Illinois law requires citizens to return lost property and wait 180 days for the rightful owner to claim it. If it goes unclaimed, the finder can keep the money, Joseph said.
As for the $312 police collected, Joseph said the village would retain the money after 180 days if unclaimed.
