Man throws $100 bills out his car window in Oregon but family accused him of draining their accounts
Man throws stacks of $100 bills worth $200,000 out of car window on Oregon Freeway as frenzied bystanders rush to get the money β but his family now accuses him of emptying their bank accounts to fund the stunt
- Collin Davis McCarthy, 38, rained money on Eugene residents on Tuesday when he threw wads of cash out of his car window around 7 p.m.
- He told police he “blessed others with gifts of money” and dozens of bystanders managed to get their hands on $100 bills
- His family has now accused him of draining their bank account to pull off the stunt and are asking for the money to be returned as they are now broke
A man’s family says he emptied their joint bank account by withdrawing stacks of $100 and then threw the money out of his car window on an Oregon highway.
Collin Davis McCarthy, 38, rained money down on Eugene residents on Tuesday when he tossed the money around 7 p.m. to “bless others with gifts of money.”
The bills, worth about $200,000 in total, were scooped up by frantic bystanders on the roadway.
Dozens of people scoured the sides of I-5, some even bringing flashlights to help them find the precious paper bills at night, hoping to be “blessed” with some spending money.
“It’s hundred dollar bills floating around and I’m like, ‘What!?’ So my friend and I decided to go one way, he went the other way and so far I’ve found $300!’ said an unknown woman KESI 9.
Despite the joyous occasion for bystanders, McCarthy’s family has now accused him of leaving them broke to pull off the stunt.
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Collin Davis McCarthy, 38, rained money on Eugene residents on Tuesday when he threw wads of money out of his car window at around 7 p.m. to “bless others with gifts of money.” Despite his generous gift, his family said he took the money from their shared account and left them broke
Dozens of bystanders scoured the sides of I-5, some even bringing flashlights to help them find the precious paper bills at night, hoping to be “blessed” with a few extra hundred dollar bills
Unfortunately for the family, there’s not much the police can do. Since the account is split, McCarthy is entitled to the money as much as the other person in the account.
“Because it’s shared, they both have an equal interest in the money,” Oregon State Police Officer Jim Andrews told KEZI 9.
“To prevent something like this from happening if you’re estranged, you’d definitely want to create a secondary bank account and then withdraw some of the money that you believe is rightfully yours.”
It’s unclear what relationship McCarthy had with the other person on the bill.
McCarthy told troopers he threw away about $200,000 in cash, but authorities estimate it was much lower. The money was raised within an hour of the stunt.
The family is now asking anyone who collected the money to return it to Oregon State Police, according to KEZI 9.
Police had asked McCarthy to stop throwing money around 7:30 p.m. because it was dangerous to motorists and pedestrians, especially after dark. After the request, McCarthy reportedly ended his trick.
He was not charged with the stunt, although officers admitted to KEZI 9 that they had considered suing him for endangering traffic.
βHe could have been charged with creating danger for his actions in a situation like this β disorderly conduct, possibly reckless endangerment, but most likely disorderly conduct,β Andrews said.
“I know the troopers considered charging him or arresting him, but after talking to him they decided not to.”
When police spoke to a family member, they revealed that this was normal behavior for McCarthy.