@HiddenCash frenzy hits Burbank as crowds search for dollar bills

The @HiddenCash frenzy was in full swing Thursday night as large crowds of people descended on the area around the Empire Center in Burbank in search of dollar bills.

The anonymous donor, who has posted clues on Twitter to the locations of cash-stuffed envelopes, created a frenzy in the Bay Area before coming to Los Angeles. The donor left a hint on his Twitter account Thursday evening that said, “Big shopping center in Burbank. Three drops all around there.”

The posts sent people scrambling to the huge Empire Center in the 1800 block of West Empire Avenue, according to television news footage.

Television station KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported on Twitter that two people hit the jackpot in Burbank. One man found $135, and a woman came across $210, according to the report.

Shortly after 9 p.m., the donor said on Twitter that all the cash had been found. “More fun tomorrow. Thank you for the love, L.A.”

The mystery benefactor, who has described himself as a wealthy real estate developer between 35 and 45 years old, made his first L.A.-area drop at the historical memorial fountain in Griffith Park late Wednesday night.

Within an hour of announcing it via his Twitter account @HiddenCash, the park was swarmed by people armed with flashlights. One person tweeted that he found the envelope filled with about $250.

The chaotic searching at Griffith Park ended with a report of minor damage to landscaping caused by people trampling around in search of the envelope.

In an interview with The Times, the donor said he wanted his scavenger hunts to be festive but calm.

“I hope there is not a lot of hysteria,” he said.

The scavenger hunt started Friday in the Bay Area, where the donor hid numerous envelopes filled with cash and then tweeted clues about their whereabouts. His tweets have gone viral, with followers documenting their attempts to find the hidden cash.

The donor told The Times he had recently closed a real estate deal that left him with a six-figure profit, so he decided to “give back” and do something fun with the money.

“I love to give back,” he said. “I would love to have more join me to give back more.”

The donor, who says he also gives to charity, does not plan to stop his scavenger hunts any time soon.

Seeing his followers filled with joy after finding the hidden envelopes, he said, is a “wonderful feeling.”