New York cab driver returns 21,000 in cash

An Italian family whose New York vacation was left in tatters after their $21,000 holiday fund was left on the back of a taxi has praised the honesty of their magnanimous driver, who travelled 50 miles to return their lost fortune.

The Lettieri family, of Pompeii, Italy, had been told not to harbour any hopes of finding the lost money after 72-year-old Felicia Lettieri accidentally left her purse containing the cash in the back seat of Mohammad Asadujjaman’s taxi on Christmas Eve.

However, police had not counted on the moral fibre of the gracious cab driver, who travelled some 50 miles to a Long Island address he found in the purse to return the lost money.

What’s more, Mohammad, who is also a medical student, didn’t even accept a reward for his good deed.

“My mother is my inspiration. She always said to be honest and work hard,” Mohammad said when asked why he went to such lengths to return the money.

Although he conceded that the small fortune would have helped him pay for his studies, Mohammad simply said: “my heart said this is not good”.

“We really love what he did,” said Francesca Lettieri, Felicia’s sister.