Motorists jump on interstate after armored truck door opens, cash spills out

INDIANAPOLIS — Drivers scrambled onto Interstate 70 in Indianapolis on Wednesday morning, snapping up loose cash and money bags after the door of an armored truck opened on the motorway and currency spilled out onto the road.

>> Read more trending news

Indiana State Police said officials started getting calls around 9 a.m. “about money blowing all over the interstate and people trying to catch it” on I-70 near the Sam Jones Expressway.

When authorities arrived, they found several people with money in their hands, their bags and their pockets. Witnesses told police others had already grabbed cash and run from the scene.

"It actually created quite an unsafe atmosphere out there, where people were actually stopping in the middle of the interstate to get out of their cars and chase this money down," Sgt. John Perrine, of the Indiana State Police, told WTHR. "Some of the money was in bags and some had just broken loose and was blowing across the interstate. (It was a) very dangerous situation."

Authorities urged anyone who nabbed the spilled bills to return them to police or face possible theft charges.

“People know right from wrong and anyone we track down who kept a dollar of this money will be arrested for theft,” Sgt. Bill Dalton said in a news release. “The time to do the right thing and call us to turn in the money is now, because once we knock on your door, you won’t be able to avoid being arrested.”

WXIN initially reported that toopers at the scene said $600,000 spilled onto the interstate. Later, however, officials later said it was unclear how much money had fallen from the truck.

It was not clear what caused the truck's door to open. The driver of the Brinks truck told authorities that another driver alerted him to the open door, WXIN reported.

Cox Media Group