Couple Finds $11,000 Near Golden Gate Bridge, Returns Cash To Tourist

A California couple got an unexpected surprise when they found a bag filled with $11,000 during a romantic Valentine’s Day stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Carlos and Barbara Landeros of Vallejo told NBC News that they were taking in the San Francisco scenery when they passed by a parking lot next to the Golden Gate Bridge and discovered an abandoned camera bag. Surrounded by a sea of tourists, Barbara said they waited for more than 45 minutes, hoping an owner would return to claim the bag, until they looked inside.

When no owner arrived, Barbara finally peeked inside and found a camera lens, credit cards, and finally, an envelope containing $11,000 in bills.

"I got nervous at first. It could be drug money," Landeros said. "I was scared."

After some deliberation, the couple decided to turn the bag in at the San Francisco Hall of Justice, where a police officer congratulated them on their honesty.

"He said, 'Good for you, guys,'" Landeros said of the policeman who wrote up their report. "'I'm proud of you.'"

Police informed them that the total money amounted to $11,060.42, and traced it to a Chinese tourist visiting the city. The tourist, Mark, who asked that his last name not be used, said he was relieved to have gotten the call from police as he was scheduled to return to China the following day.

He said that the bag contained cash belonging to several families who had traveled to San Francisco together, and that they had mistakenly left the camera bag in the parking lot after posing for family photos together.

"When the officer give me everything, and he said, 'Happy Valentine's Day,'" Mark said, before adding that the Landeros family was “very, very kind in heart.”

Although the Landeroses ended up sacrificing their Valentine’s Day meal together for a McDonald’s next door to the police station, Barbara said that her “heart is rested now because the people got their money and their bag.”