Homeless man turns over backpack full of money he found to police

A homeless man in Boston, MA who found a stack of cash outside of a TJ Maxx Store this weekend probably could have used that money. But instead, he handed it over to police.

A man approached Boston police officers outside of the South Bay Mall on Saturday, carrying a black backpack that contained $39,500 in travelers cheques and $2,400 in cash.

He said he had found the bag, and he gave it over to the officers, according a release from the police department. But when officers asked for the address of this man, who had turned over a large sum of money because it didn't belong to him, they discovered he lived at a shelter.

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"A Less Than Fortunate Good Samaritan Turns in Found Property to Officers," the title of Boston Police Department's release reads.

Police took the bag, which also contained a Chinese passport and other personal papers, and a customer from Best Buy later claimed the items, saying he had lost the backpack while he was in the store.

Police did not identify the homeless man or the customer who lost his backpack, or offer any explanation for the intriguing sum of money.

This winter, a homeless man in Missouri named Billy Ray returned a woman's engagement ring after she accidentally dropped it into the cup he was using to collect change. She was so grateful that she started a fundraising campaign and raised $191,745 in donations for Ray, launching him to viral fame that earned him an appearance on the Today Show.