Chick-fil-a employee finds $10K, returns it:character

Chick-fil-A Employee Finds $10,000 in Bathroom and Tries to Refuse Reward for Turning It in
“Money is useless without character,” Jaydon Cintron said about returning the money he found near the toilet on his break

By Chiara Kim Updated on April 8, 2026 05:09PM EDT
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Chick-Fil-A Employee Finds $10k in Bathroom and Returns It. He Refused the $500 Reward
Credit : WITN-TV/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
A Chick-Fil-A employee recently found nearly $10,000 in the store bathroom on his break and immediately returned it
When the owner of the money tried to give the Kinston, N.C. Chick-Fil-A employee, Jaydon Cintron, a reward, he turned it down at first
“I did this because that's what Jesus would do,” Cintron told WITN, explaining that his actions were guided by his faith
A Chick-fil-A employee is getting recognized for doing a good deed.


Jaydon Cintron, an employee at the Kinston, N.C. Chick-fil-A, found nearly $10,000 in the bathroom during his break and returned it, and then tried to turn down the $500 reward he was offered, per WITN.


Cintron found two white envelopes next to the toilet while on his break, one with around $5,000 that was labeled First Citizens Bank and one with $4,333 labeled Truist Bank, the outlet reported.


“I just picked it up, and I brought it to the human resources,” Cintron told the outlet.


“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," Cintron told PEOPLE in an emailed statement of the moment.

"Knowing how devastating it would be to lose something like that, I just wanted to make sure it got back to its owner. I’m grateful I could help and I’m humbled by the response," he continued.

He told WITN he didn't keep the money because “that's not what Jesus would have done. That's not what God would have wanted.”

“Money is useless without character,” he added.



The owner of the money reportedly came forward to the police to claim it. He then offered Cintron $500 for returning the money, but the employee declined at first.

Per WITN, he told the man he didn't expect a reward for doing something guided by his faith.

“I don't want anything out of this,” Cintron said. “I did this because that's what Jesus would do.”


After declining the money several times, he finally accepted it.

“We’re grateful for Team Members like Jaydon who demonstrate integrity and a genuine care for others," Kinston Chick-fil-A Owner-Operator John McPhaul told PEOPLE in an email.

"Acts like this reflect the values our restaurants aim to uphold each day, and we’re proud to see that lived out here at Chick-fil-A Kinston," he added.

“True leadership, you know, true integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching,“ McPhaul told WITN, adding, “Jay did that in this case, and he should be commended for

Kinston Police Chief Keith Goyette told WITN, “a lot of people will, unfortunately, take that money and run with it, but kudos to that employee at Chick-Fil-A, [he] definitely deserves a reward.”