Chick-fil-A Employee Finds $10,000 in Bathroom – Says No to Reward

Jaydon Cintron was on his break at the Kinston, North Carolina Chick-fil-A when he found two white envelopes on the floor next to the toilet. One was labeled First Citizens Bank and contained around $5,000. The other was labeled Truist Bank with $4,333 inside. Nearly $10,000 in cash sitting in a fast food bathroom.

He picked them up and walked straight to HR.

When the owner of the money came forward to claim it — after reporting it to police — he offered Cintron $500 as a reward. Cintron said no.

"I don't want anything out of this," he told the local news station. "I did this because that's what Jesus would do."

He declined the reward several times before eventually accepting it.

"Money is useless without character," Cintron said.

He elaborated in a written statement on what guided his decision. "I was in the right place at the right time, but more than that, my faith teaches me to do what's right and to care for others. Knowing how devastating it would be to lose something like that, I just wanted to make sure it got back to its owner."

The Response From His Community

The story spread quickly after local news picked it up, and the response from Kinston and beyond was immediate. People don't expect to hear about someone finding $10,000 in cash, turning it in without hesitation, and then trying to wave off the reward — but that's exactly what happened, and it resonated.

The Kinston police chief was direct about how rare that instinct is. "A lot of people will, unfortunately, take that money and run with it," he said. "But kudos to that employee at Chick-fil-A — he definitely deserves a reward."

The restaurant's owner-operator John McPhaul said Cintron's actions reflect exactly what the restaurant tries to stand for. "True integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. Jay did that in this case, and he should be commended for it."

A Moment That Says Something

Stories like this one tend to travel because they tap into something people want to believe — that basic decency is still out there, that not everyone would pocket $10,000 and walk away, that some people genuinely make the harder choice without needing an audience or a camera.

Cintron wasn't looking for recognition. He wasn't angling for a reward. By his own account, he was doing what his faith told him was right and what simple human empathy made obvious — someone was going to be devastated without that money, and he had the chance to fix it.

The cash belonged to someone who had apparently withdrawn it from two different banks and somehow left both envelopes behind in a Chick-fil-A bathroom. The relief of getting it back, thanks to a stranger on his break, was something Cintron said he didn't need to be compensated for.

Ten thousand dollars. A bathroom. Nobody watching. He turned it in anyway and then tried to wave off the reward.

Some people are just built differently.

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