Cleaner Returns $100,000 Found in Condemned House, and Gets an Even Greater Reward
Norman Saleh doesn't consider himself a hero, not even a Good Samaritan, but an honest man who did what anyone should do.
The Detroit resident, who runs a junk removal company 1-866-Xs-Trash, happened upon $100,000 in savings bonds in a condemned house he was cleaning out on Thursday, and promptly returned it to the owner, only to be practically given the house as a reward.
The owner of the money told Norman he'd "saved him," paid him $15,000 for the job and sold him the house for about a fifth of its worth.
"I didn't expect him to do anything," Norman tells the Good News blog. "Because of the neighborhood, school district, the size of the home - the outside of the home was immaculate, the structure is phenomenal… I'm really, really grateful."
Prior to discovering the large sum, Norman described the house as a place you had to "climb" through, covered from floor to ceiling with garbage, clothes, and dishes. He found a tin can underneath a bed, and decided to open it up before he threw it out. That's when he happened upon the stash of money.
The woman who resided in the house hadn't let anyone inside for 20 years, and suffered from a mental illness. It was her brother who hired Norman to clean out the residence, and her brother who was moved by Norman's good deed.
"You want to help the people, you don't want to put them in the poorhouse, and I think good karma comes back to you," Norman remarks. "I called him, and he said, 'I'm 20 minutes away, and I'll be there in five. You saved me, and it's going to come back to you tenfold."
Norman credits his staff for their honesty and good work in tracking down the missing savings, and feels it was a team effort in helping out the family. He plans to restore the house, and from there, he's not sure what he will do with it. He estimates its worth around $160,000, making his reward nearly the same.
Though he's been getting lots of attention, Norman only hopes his honorable gesture is not unusual.
"There's a lot of people like me out here," he comments. "I don't like to say I'm a hero or anything. This is what I would expect anyone to do."
More of the Good News:
Mission Accomplished: Shoe Shiner Packs Up His Box After Raising $220,000 for Children
Lottery Winner Uses $40 Million to Help Cancer Patients
YouTube Stars Give Returned $14,000 Donation to Breast Cancer Patient
