Armored truck spills cash on highway, causes crashes as drivers stop to pick it up

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Accidents backed up a New Jersey highway after a Brink’s armored truck spilled cash.

NJ.com reported that police got several calls about the truck spilling cash on Route 3 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Thursday morning.

Several drivers stopped and got out of their vehicles to pick up the cash, which led to multiple accidents and some property damage, according to authorities.

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News 12 New Jersey reported that police say there was an issue with a locking device on one of the vehicle's doors that led to the spill.

East Rutherford Police Capt. Phil Taormina told the North Jersey Record that those who picked up the money on the road could face theft charges.

“You can be arrested for this, but the issue and the hard part is identifying who the actors are,” Taormina said. “Who picked up the money and left?”

Some video footage showed $1, $5, $20 and $100 bills on the road. Taormina said some people were jumping over the divider of the 12-lane highway to get to the side where the cash spilled. The amount of money missing from the truck is not know, but Brink’s is doing an audit to determine a total, according to Taormina.

Because Brink’s employees were seen retrieving some of the money, Taormina said the drivers and others who may have picked up the money have no claim to it. While in transit, the money belongs to Brink’s.

“They would have a duty to give the money over,” Taormina said.

Finding the people who took some of the money from the road will be a challenge. The Record reported that detectives are investigating by looking at photos and videos of the money grab on social media, as well as footage from New Jersey Department of Transportation cameras on the highway.

The East Rutherford Police Department is asking anyone with video footage or other information related to the incident to call them at 201-438-1065.

Cox Media Group