James Brady lost his benefits after police returned money he found in the street (Picture: AP / The Record of Bergen County)

A homeless man who handed in a wad of cash he found on the street has been stripped of his benefits.

James Brady had no place to live when he found $850 (£530) after leaving a local shelter in April but immediately turned the cash over to police in Hackensack, New Jersey.

He was allowed to keep the money six months later after no one came forward to claim it, but his good deed has proved costly.

Mr Brady, who has recently found housing, had his government benefits suspended when he failed to report the new income.


‘This is stupid,’ he told the Record newspaper, which claims offers of support for Brady have been pouring in from readers.



‘I had already proven my honesty by turning in the $850. They were treating me like I was a dishonest individual, like I was trying to cheat them out of the money.’

The 59 year-old is a former photographer and market data analyst who has suffered from depression since losing his job a decade ago.

Bergen County officials say they are just ‘following the rules’, but are now set to look again at the case following the publicity.

‘We’re going to check the rules to see what can be done,’ said Alex Morales, a management consultant for the Bergen County Board of Social Services.

‘We want to be very careful so he can benefit and so we can help him get to self-sufficiency.’