Honesty might be rare these days, but every now and then, somebody restores faith in humanity. For one Chick-fil-A employee, an ordinary shift quickly turned into what church folks I know like to call a testimony—after his character was tested in a way most people like to think they’d pass… but if we’re being real, probably wouldn’t.
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A Chick-fil-A employee out of Kinston, N.C., Jaydon Cintron, was absolutely shocked when he stumbled upon a wad of cash in the bathroom at his workplace. And we’re not talking about a few stray dollars—we’re talking nearly $10,000 in cold, hard cash. One envelope, labeled First Citizens Bank, held $5,000, while another, marked Truist Bank, contained $4,333, per WITN.
“They were on the floor next to the toilet. My first thought was just like… okay, no, this isn’t happening,” Cintron said, per WITN. “Something is wrong.”
Cintron—who we’re unapologetically dubbing one of America’s most honest citizens—initially turned down any reward after returning the money to its rightful owner, which he found on the morning of Good Friday. If you know anything about Chick-fil-A, you know the company is rooted in “Biblical principles,” with a stated purpose to glorify God.
According to the employee, that mindset played a major role in his decision—because for him, keeping the money was never even an option. “Money is useless without character,” he told the news outlet.
Regarding pocketing the cash, Cintron explained, “That’s not what Jesus would’ve done. That’s not what God would’ve wanted.”
Even Keith Goyette, police chief of Kinston, was impressed with the employee’s honesty and felt he deserved recognition. “A lot of people will, unfortunately, take that money and run with it,” Goyette said. “Kudos to that employee at Chick-fil-A. He definitely deserves a reward.”
While the company was unable to identify the rightful owner using surveillance footage alone, Goyette later confirmed that the owner eventually came forward to retrieve his $9,833, per the news outlet. Cintron said the man approached him with a $500 reward for returning the money, though he had no expectation of receiving anything for his honesty. After turning it down multiple times, he eventually accepted the offer.
Restaurant owner John McPhaul also spoke highly of Cintron, commending him for doing the right thing when nobody is watching.
“True leadership, true integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching,” McPhaul said. “Jaydon did that in this case, and he should be commended for it.”
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