Service Tech Finds $50,000 In Trade-In Vehicle

We told you previously about a dealership employee finding $10,000 in a recent trade-in. Now we’re bringing you the story of a dealership tech finding and returning even more cash.

Juan Ibarra, a service tech at Parkplace Motorcars Fort Worth in Fort Worth, Texas found $50,000 in the trunk of a recent trade-in. Ibarra was inspecting the Mercedes-Benz SL550 when he looked into the trunk and saw a bag left behind. Ibarra opened the bag, which held stacks of $100 bills. Seeing the load of cash was startling for Ibarra, who has worked at Motorcars Fort Worth for 10 years.

In a report by the Dallas Morning News Ibarra described his reaction saying, “I jumped back like I’d seen a snake. My first thought was, is this dirty money? I immediately took it to my service director. Nobody wanted to touch it. We didn’t even count it.”

The bag, as it turned out, belonged to a bail bondsman who had put the bail money in his trunk for a bond he was working on. According to reports and as expected, the bondsman was very relieved to get the money returned to him. The bondsman counted out all $50,000, just to make sure nothing was missing.

The general manager of the store, George Johnson, spoke about the character of Ibarra to the Dallas Morning News saying, “Juan has always been a real go-to guy. He’s a man of the highest integrity. I’m very proud of him.”

Ibarra received a card with some money from the bondsman a few days later and noted the card and gratitude was enough of a reward.

Dealership staff may find odd items during a trade-in, but have you or someone you know ever found a large sum of cash? What do you make of this story in which the tech showed the integrity to immediately tell his boss about the bag of hundred dollar bills he found in the trade-in?