Honest security guard biked miles to return stranger's lost wallet—then community surprised him with a new car

The man noticed that someone had dropped their wallet and decided to return it after his shift.

PUBLISHED 11 HOURS AGO

(L) A man riding a bike on the road. (R) A security guard looking at something with a smile on his face. Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Susumu Yoshioka; Jacob Wackerhausen

A good deed might come back to a person in a bigger and better way. A security guard in Hawaii is a testimony to that. The man from Maui biked for over three miles to return a lost wallet between jobs. So the community hatched a plan to reward the man, Aina Townsend, for his honesty and extra effort. The woman, Chloe Marino, who had lost her wallet because she was in a hurry while shopping at the supermarket, was thankful for the man's gesture, per ABC 7 News.

A man riding a bike. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Johner Images

Marino was at the Foodland grocery store in Kahului, Hawaii, with her five-month-old son when she accidentally dropped her wallet. Townsend saw the wallet and decided to go to the woman's house to return it after his shift was over. "You know, I lost a wallet before, too and it's the worst thing in the world. I was just doing what I felt was the right thing to do," the man told CNN. The man's arrival at their doorstep came as a big surprise for Marino and her husband. "I was shocked at first. I didn’t even realize I had lost it. He definitely went out of his way for a complete stranger, which was so amazing," Marino pointed out.

A lost wallet lying on a carpet. Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Westend61

Marino's husband, Gray, was beyond impressed with the act and decided to share it on Facebook. "He literally rode his bicycle to return her wallet. Completely full of everything important to her, including cash. Nothing was so much as moved," the man wrote in his 2020 post when the incident happened. One of Gray's friends, Gregory Gaudet, came across the story and decided to get a special Christmas gift for the man. He started a GoFundMe and hoped to collect $5000 in hopes of getting a used car for Townsend before January 2021 as a New Year's gift.

A man looking at a new car with a smile on his face. Getty Images | Alan Thornton

He pointed out that he and Gray would be the first ones to contribute to the fund. "It's probably a long shot, but he deserves it and Gray and I will be the first to contribute," Gaudet wrote. "We want to recognize this man's selflessness and incredible act of love, reward him and keep the goodwill going!" The community managed to raise over $25,586 to buy a car for the man. They bought him a 2017 VW Jetta and Gaudet assured people that he would help Townsend invest the rest of the money, so his family could build their own "nest egg." Gaudet told CNN, "There were a few times in my life where people did a few things that made a really big impact. He deserves it, you know. He’s been working hard for a long time. He’s a good guy. He deserves a break."

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On the other hand, Townsend was quite surprised when he heard about the fundraiser, as he hadn't expected anything like that. He had been using his bike to commute from one place to another for five years before he got the car as a gift. "It means a lot. It’s not only about having better transportation. I can do more stuff for my family now. That’s the bigger part of the picture." He was super thankful to the family and believed that he just tried to do the right thing. In an update on GoFundMe, Gaudet shared that Townsend loved the car and picking up security shifts around the island. The funds also helped him to get his sick cat treated.