Teen Tracks Down Military Veteran Owner Of Lost Wallet But Then Receives Text From His Mom

Jul 04, 2023

Imagine walking along one day and happening upon a wallet. It isn't just any wallet, though; it's a wallet stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash. Would you leave the money inside and attempt to find the rightful owner of the wallet or take the money and run?

It's a hypothetical "What would you do?" question that is often posed to us but rarely do we find ourselves in such a situation in our everyday lives. Well, one young Fremont, California, resident was forced to ask himself this exact question back in 2015.

Irvington High School senior Tommy O'Connor thought that he was going to enjoy a typical lunch break from school when he happened across the lost wallet one day. Tommy had just purchased a soda and noticed the lost wallet as he left the store. The teen picked up the wallet and knew he had to do his part in getting it back to its rightful owner.

In today's day and age, many people struggle to make ends meet and keep a roof over their heads, and it's possible they would be tempted to keep the money and throw away the wallet.

However, Tommy isn't a typical teenager. He later told KPIX 5 local news that there "was like a bunch of hundreds" inside. He added:

“I didn’t count it when I saw it. I just thought it was probably someone’s rent or something."

Furthermore, Tommy's family is not well-to-do and lives on a fixed income. Just the day prior, Tommy didn't even have enough money to buy lunch. Yet, what he did next with the wallet spoke volumes about the kind of person he is.

Concerned about getting the wallet back to its owner, Tommy took it and gave it to his para-educator, Ana Gomez. Inside, she found $2,300 and a veteran's identification card.

In an interview with a local Bay Area newspaper, The Mercury News, Tommy's educators spoke very highly of the teen. Gomez said:

“He was so concerned about finding the wallet’s owner. ... No other option even occurred to him. He immediately knew what he had to do.”

With the school’s principal, Gomez was able to track down the owner. When they returned the wallet, they learned the money was intended to pay the man's rent. The man subsequently gave Tommy $50 as a reward for his good deed. 

In the meantime, word of Tommy's good deed traveled fast, and his mother, Sherry O'Connor, heard the news before the school day had even ended. She sent her son a text message and praised his integrity. As reported by KPIX 5, her text message read:

“I’m very proud of you son. Ms. Kalra called me. Wow your (sic) one in a million. Love you to the moon and back.”

But it was Tommy’s heartwarming reply to his mom that was almost too endearing. He wrote: 

“You should be thanking yourself You raised me.”

But it wasn't only Tommy's mother who was incredibly proud of him, but also his father, Ron O'Connor. He expressed pride in his son's actions when he told the same local news outlet:

"With us living month-to-month, it is a big chunk of money and I'm so proud of him that he did that."

When asked about his selfless act, Tommy stayed humble and simply told the outlet:

“I’m just doing something I wish everyone else would do."

Has this ever happened to you? What did you do? Every penny counts in today's world, and many people would have kept the money and thrown the wallet away. If Tommy's actions inspired you then pass it on to others so they can read about it too.