He took the wallet and gave it to his teaching assistant, Ana Gomez, when he returned to school. Gomez opened the wallet and searched its contents, hoping to identify its owner. Anna found a total of $2,300 in the wallet and a veteran’s ID card.
Then Anna took the wallet and its contents to the manager, Sarah Smoot, and they reached out to find the owner.
Word of Tommy’s good work spread quickly and his mother heard the news before the end of the school day. She texted her son and praised his integrity.
“I got a call from school,” her mother said via text message. “You are one in a million, and I love you to the moon and back.”
Tommy’s father, Ron O’Connor, also expressed pride in his son’s actions. Ron told his local news KPIX 5:
“With us living month after month, it’s a huge amount of money and I’m so proud of him that he made it.”
Tommy’s manager managed to find the landlord and when she handed over the wallet, she knew the money inside was to pay the man’s rent. Then he gave Tommy $50 as a reward for his good deed.
Watch the full story in the video below: