A Queens woman threw out her old refrigerator, only to remember later that day that she had stored her life savings inside of it.
Magda Castillo of Kew Gardens realized late Wednesday that her Frigidaire had $5,020 in cash in one of its doors when she had it taken to a recycling center in Ozone Park. Early the next morning, Castillo returned to the center in a panic, but the employees couldn't find the fridge and Castillo left, dejected and in a financial bind.
But when Mike Downer, an employee at the recycling center, showed up for work 15 minutes later, he had a vague recollection where they had left the fridge the day before. Downer then found the fridge and the missing five grand.
The employees of Atlantic Recycling couldn't find Castillo, however, so they took to the media to locate her. Later that day, Castillo realized her money had been found.
“In the afternoon, I saw on the TV they found my money,” Castillo told the Daily News. “I said, ‘Oh my God, I'm very happy.’”
Downer never thought of keeping the cash for himself. "I didn't need her money. It's the right thing to do," he said. He did get a $300 reward, though. Castillo, who can now pay her mortgage this month, will no longer be keeping her money in appliances: She says she just opened a bank account.
