Borough President Helen Marshall commended Fred Alsterberg, left, and Michael Downer for returning about $5,000 to a woman who accidentally left it in a refrigerator that had been sold to a scrapyard in Ozone Park. Photo Courtesy of Queens Borough President Helen Marshall’s Office Queens
Two workers at Atlantic Recycling in Ozone Park were feted at Queens Borough Hall last week after they returned about $5,000 that a woman accidentally left in a refrigerator that had been mistakenly sold for scrap.
Michael Downer, a manager at the scrapyard Atlantic Recycling, and Fred Alsterberg, a tow-truck driver for the same company, found the thousands of dollars in cash in a refrigerator door after a distraught Magda Castillo, and her husband, arrived at the company to tell them Castillo had forgotten she had left her savings in the appliance before it was dropped off at the yard.
Downer and Alsterberg were honored by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall last Wednesday for recovering the money and returning it to a much-relieved Castillo, who lives in Kew Gardens.
“I commend Michael and Fred for their honesty and for their determination in making sure this lost cash was returned to the right person,” Marshall said. “They understood how important it was to return the money and were willing to make the extra effort to find it and locate the woman who lost it. They deserve our praise and admiration.”
Several weeks ago, Castillo panicked when she realized that the old refrigerator containing her money had been sold to the scrapyard. Upon the realization, Castillo, who works for Walsh-Labella & Son Funeral Home in Glendale, ran to the scrapyard and told Alsterberg what happened. Scrapyard employees could not locate the refrigerator at that time, and Castillo left without leaving her contact information.
Upon learning of the woman’s plight, Downer found the refrigerator and recovered the money. But, because the employees did not have the woman’s contact information, they had no idea how to return the cash – and even drove around the neighborhood in search of her.
Finally, Alsterberg and Downer managed to return the money when Castillo returned to the scrapyard several days later.
“It was the right thing to do because it was money for her mortgage,” Downer said.
By Anna Gustafson
