Ella Scott
A Chick-fil-A employee who found almost $10,000 in the fast-food restaurant’s bathroom on his work break has admitted why he voluntarily rejected a reward for handing it in.
On Good Friday (3 April), Jaydon Cintron, 18, was serving up chicken at the Kinston Chick-fil-A as normal.
Upon taking his regular break, he headed to the men’s restroom, where he discovered two white envelopes next to the toilet.
“My first thought was just like... okay, no, this isn’t happening,” the employee explained to WITN. “Something is wrong.”
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According to the outlet, one envelope was labelled ‘First Citzens’ bank and contained a whopping $5,000.
The second, addressed to ‘Truist Bank’, had $4,333 stuffed inside.
Under several states' laws, if you find a certain amount of money, you are required to take it to the police if you can't identify the owner.
However, according to Kinston Police Chief Keith Goyette, ‘a lot of people [would], unfortunately, take that money and run with it’.
But not Cintron, who explained to People Magazine that he was luckily in ‘the right place at the right time’ to scoop up the money.
Instead of putting it in his pocket, he handed it in to human resources.
When asked why he opted to hand in the money, the food industry worker said: “My faith teaches me to do what’s right and to care for others.
"Knowing how devastating it would be to lose something like that, I just wanted to make sure it got back to its owner.”
Fellow Chick-fil-A employees used CCTV footage to try to find the person who dropped the envelopes, but to no avail.
According to Goyette, the person who lost the $9,833 eventually informed the police and were later reunited with their cash.
As a gesture of goodwill, they allegedly offered Cintron a $500 reward, which he initially declined.
“I don't want anything out of this,” Cintron said to WITN. “I did this because that's what Jesus would do.”
Despite his initial hesitancy, the teen eventually accepted the reward.
“We’re grateful for Team Members like Jaydon who demonstrate integrity and a genuine care for others,” said John McPhaul, Kinston Chick-fil-A Owner-Operator.
“Acts like this reflect the values our restaurants aim to uphold each day, and we’re proud to see that lived out here at Chick-fil-A Kinston," he continued via People.
Speaking to WITN, McPhaul added: “True leadership, you know, true integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. Jay did that in this case, and he should be commended for it.”
The cult US chain, of which there are over 4,000 in the States, recently launched in the United Kingdom.
Hot on their heels is Raising Cane’s, the fried chicken restaurant with plans to open a flagship store in the heart of London this year.
The fried chicken favourite confirmed that its first-ever European outlet will set up shop at 21-22 Coventry St in Piccadilly Circus.
Once the Raising Cane’s restaurant is open, the business will launch at locations around The Strand, Oxford Circus, Paddington and South Bank as well as drive-thru locations in Greater London and beyond.