WINNIPEG –A fourth woman has come forward to police to say she has also had a bizarre encounter with a man leaving large sums of money on a jogging trail.
In this case, the incident occurred on a trail near the Grace Hospital in St. James.
Police say a 21-year-old woman called them Wednesday night after hearing media reports of other joggers finding envelopes of cash. Shortly after they pick the envelope or wallet up, a male appears to say it is his and then leaves.
The incident near the Grace Hospital mirrored the three others reported to police.
“It’s just another bizarre encounter that we can’t honestly explain,” said Const. Jason Michalyshen of the Winnipeg Police Service. “We don’t know what his intent is.”
The Assiniboine Park has now told its security guards to patrol the park on bikes more often using pathways that joggers and walkers use.
On Wednesday Global News reported that three women had called police about this potentially worrying experience.
Amory Steek says it happened to her twice.
The first was last month, and she says it was a black envelope on the ground filled with twenties and fifties. When she stopped to pick it up and man came up to her and indicated it was his. Steek estimated the amount to be in the thousands of dollars.
“First of all, who’s carrying that kind of money with an envelope that’s open at the top and then drops it?” said Steek. While she found it bizarre, she didn’t think much of it until she spotted the same envelope on the ground near the entrance to Assiniboine Park last week.
“And when I came up off my bike he was standing right there and he said ‘that’s mine’ and I said ‘I know it’s yours, this is the second time I’ve found it'” said Steek. “And I said ‘I don’t understand what you’re doing with this money, how convenient that you’ve lost it twice.”
Steek says she never felt threatened but says since sharing her story on Facebook, several people have commented that the same thing has happened to them. Some of the stories go back more than a year.
“As the police said, there is no crime that has been committed but I just don’t want to get to the point where it has,” said Steek.
The man is described as Caucasion, late 30’s to early 40’s, 5’7″, tall, slim with grey or balding hair.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (204) 986-6222 or 911 if necessary.
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