A Good Friday shift at Chick-fil-A took an unexpected turn when an 18-year-old employee spotted two white envelopes on the bathroom floor and instantly realized he was holding a secret that wasn’t his to keep.
During a break in his morning shift at the Chick-fil-A in Kinston, N.C., Jaydon Cintron found two envelopes on the floor of the store’s bathroom and quickly realized “something” was “wrong.”
The envelopes were labeled First Citizens Bank and Truist Bank, and together they held $9,833, including $5,000 in one and $4,333 in the other, revealing the true weight of what had just been left behind.
“They were on the floor next to the toilet. My first thought was just like…okay, no, this isn’t happening,” Cintron told WITN. “Something is wrong.”
For a moment, the teenager found himself processing what had just happened, aware that situations like this rarely come with clear instructions when no one else is present.
‘Not what God would’ve wanted’
After taking time to steady himself, Cintron reported the envelopes and turned the cash over to Chick-fil-A’s human resources department so the rightful owner could be located.
“That’s not what Jesus would’ve done. That’s not what God would’ve wanted,” the teenager explained of why he didn’t pocket the cash.
When no one immediately came forward, restaurant staff reviewed security video hoping to identify who had left the envelopes behind, but the footage did not initially provide clear answers.
Kinston Police Chief Keith Goyette later told WITN that the owner came forward to claim the $9,833.
Cintron said the man later approached him and offered a $500 reward for returning the envelopes, but he initially declined, explaining he did not expect anything in return for doing what he believed was right.
‘True integrity’
That quiet decision soon drew recognition from both restaurant leadership and local authorities, who pointed to the rare level of honesty shown in a situation with no clear witness.
Restaurant owner John McPhaul praised Cintron’s actions, emphasizing the importance of doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
“True leadership, you know, true integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching,” said restaurant owner John McPhaul. “Jaydon did that in this case and he should be commended for it.”
Chief Goyette also acknowledged how uncommon it can be for someone to come forward after finding such a large amount of cash.
“A lot of people will…unfortunately, take that money and run with it,” said Goyette told WITN. “Kudos to that employee at Chick-Fil-A. He definitely deserves a reward.”
After declining the reward multiple times, Cintron eventually accepted the $500.
‘Do the right thing’
Stories like this don’t appear every day, yet they are not as uncommon as people might think.
In 2022, staff at a Home Depot store in Bellevue, Tennessee, worked to reunite a customer with $700 in cash that had been left behind in an envelope inside the store, money that had reportedly been set aside for Christmas gifts.
“We wanted to do the right thing,” said Alissa Rocchi, an operations assistant and store manager at the location who used the power of social media to find the owner of the lost money.
In New York City that same year, a wallet containing $4,000 was returned after a commuter dropped it in Times Square.
What would you do if you found an envelope containing a large amount of cash? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can hear from others!
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