Truck drops “bags of money” on highway; drivers rush to get cash

INDIANAPOLIS — State police say drivers clamored to pick up cash on an interstate in Indianapolis after the back doors of a Brinks armored truck swung open and hundreds of thousands of dollars flew out. Troopers at the scene initially said up to $600,000 had flown across the interstate, but police later said the exact amount was not known, CBS affiliate WTTV reports.

State police spokesman Sgt. John Perrine says investigators don’t know exactly how much cash was in the truck when its lost its load about 9 a.m. Wednesday on Interstate 70 on the city’s southwest side. Perrine says it was definitely hundreds of thousands.

“Bags of money were falling out of the back onto the interstate,” ISP Corporal Brock McCooe said.  “Sort of something out of a movie scene, where you have bills, loose bills flying all over the interstate, vehicles stopping, people getting out of their cars.”

Troopers say people were jumping over fences from the adjacent neighborhood to stuff their pockets with money, WTTV reported.

  “I guess it’s not every day you see thousands of dollars just floating around on the interstate during your morning commute,” McCooe said.  “So it was pretty chaotic.”

Officers blocked traffic as they helped collect money from along the highway. Perrine says an undetermined amount remains unaccounted for as some drivers stopped to scoop up cash.

Perrine says anyone who picked up the money could be charged with theft and he urged them to contact state police to return it.