Man no longer homeless after returning wallet full of cash in Amsterdam
Hadjer, 33, has had an eventful few weeks since he found a wallet containing 2,000 euros in cash on an NS train and returned it to the police. His life has certainly changed, he told RTL Nieuws. He is no longer homeless - he moved into a place to live last week. “I am so grateful to everyone and everything,” Hadjer told the broadcaster.
“I have a place to live in Apeldoorn,” Hadjer said. “I share it with someone else. But I’m really proud of it and happy that it has worked out.”
On June 23, Hadjer found the wallet on the train and took it to the Amsterdam police. The police posted about it on social media. Hadjer’s action touched so many people that someone launched a crowdfunding campaign for him, raising 34,000 euros.
Hadjer could hardly sleep the first week. He received so many reactions. “I really laid awake for a few nights. The second week, things got a bit better, but I was still full of adrenaline and energy. And the third week, I almost felt like I was going to have a burnout because so much came my way.”
He decided to go to Italy for a week and reset. Once back, he started getting himself back on track.
“You know, I never thought badly of myself. But when I was homeless, I often noticed that people looked down on me, didn’t see me. And then suddenly, so much comes at you, and all at the same time. So that cost a lot of energy. Mainly positive energy, but still.”
He is often recognized on the street now. Some people didn’t believe his story and thought the police had staged it all. But most of his encounters are positive. “I experience a lot of love. So let’s not focus too much on the negative,” he said. “I sometimes get a can of Coke or Red Bull at the supermarket. I have experienced several times that people want to pay for that for me, very nice. Or taxi drivers who honk at me and sometimes want to give me some money.”
But his favorite reactions, “without a doubt” are when children recognize him. “That is so beautiful and pure. I have experienced at least seven or eight times now that a child is walking down the street with a parent and then says, ‘Look, daddy or mommy, that’s the honest man.’ Or that they want to take a picture with men. Yes, that is very beautiful.”
