News

ATM cash lost, then found with good Samaritan's help

March 29, 2004

CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. - A 41-year-old Chesterfield Township man's honesty showed that there are at least a few good Samaritans out there.

According to a report in the Macomb Daily News,Robert Buckner discovered he had an extra ATM card and $200 in cash in his wallet over the March 26 weekend. Figuring the money and card came from an ATM he had used at a Bank One branch, he went to the police.

The police tracked the owner, Joe Niedzielsk, and returned his $200 and card.

Niedzielski didn't realize his card was missing until a St. Clair County Sheriff's deputy showed up at his home in rural St. Clair on March 28.

"My wife said, 'Someone is here. It's the police. What did you do?'" Niedzielski said with a laugh. "I knew I didn't do anything wrong. I was worried that maybe something bad happened."

He said he couldn't believe that he left the card in the ATM. Niedzielski, who works the afternoon shift at an auto plant, left work earlier than usual on March 27 because of a sewage backup and was looking forward to surprising his wife with a night on the town. He was driving a large pickup truck in which the driver's side window "doesn't match up well to the ATM machine," he said. He thought he grabbed his cash and took off.

Buckner, who was on his way to pick up his son at a nearby movie theater, was distracted while talking on his cell phone when he stopped at the ATM, according to the Daily News.

He didn't realize he had the extra money and second bank card until March 28 when his wife asked for funds. He telephoned his bank's toll-free number and found that the $200 hadn't been deducted from his account. So he contacted township police, who tracked Niedzielski.

"I wanted to ease his mind in case he was worried," Buckner said.

"I told him (Buckner) I wanted to shake his hand," Detective Sgt. Ed Colinas said. "He did a great thing."