Girl Finds $2 On Sidewalk, Turns It Into Morris County Police

PEQUANNOCK, NJ — For most of us, finding $2 on the sidewalk would be a nice surprise. We'd probably pocket the two bills and continue with our days. But for one Morris County girl, finding $2 was a chance to go above and beyond in doing the right thing.

10-year-old Isabella King was walking on the sidewalk near the Little Food Inn in Peuqannock when she found two singles on the ground, mom Alyssa posted on Facebook.

"She's adamant about not keeping it, so if anyone here was in that area between 4:00 and 4:30 pm today and dropped money, please let me know," King wrote on a town Facebook group last Wednesday.

Isabella insisted they turn the money into the police, something that didn't surprise King.

"She's always thinking of others first, and she has a strong sense of empathy and fairness. I think she just thought to herself, 'This isn't mine and I didn't earn it. How would I feel if I were the one who had misplaced it?'" King told Patch. "She's a bright girl and she knows that $2 isn't a lot of money, but the amount didn't matter to her. She just wanted to do the right thing."

Police, however, were surprised by Isabella's request, but very kind in saying it was too small of an amount for them to take in, King said.

"I think they were quite surprised, but they tried to be very polite and diplomatic about declining it, and they commended her for being so honest. I had a feeling that would be the outcome, but I wanted to give her a chance to clear her conscience, because it was obvious that she didn't feel right about just taking the money," she told Patch.

“Obviously, this young lady has outstanding parents. Her honesty and integrity should be an inspiration to everyone," Pequannock Capt. Christopher DePuyt told the Daily Record.

Isabella's quest to find the bills owner has gained her national attention, with the Associated Press, New York Times, and Washington Post all picking up her story.

"We thought that once it was posted in the local paper, that would be the end of it," King told Patch, describing the attention as "a little surreal!"

King said they were never able to find the owner, but Isabella didn't keep the money. Instead, she put it towards an order of Girl Scout nuts to send to the military overseas.

Image via Alyssa King, used with permission