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@HiddenCash strikes again, this time leaving money in Echo Park

Robert Ramirez, 45, holds up $206 that he found in an envelope in a tree in the parking lot of the Huntington Library on Friday.
(Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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The now-prolific Tweeter and mystery donor known as @HiddenCash made more money drops Friday evening in Echo Park after a day filled with Angelenos searching for his dollar-filled envelopes.

It was unclear how much money was found in all Friday evening, but @HECTOROFFICIAL Tweeted: “Thank you to @HiddenCash for the cash! $168!!!”

User @NewsJuan Tweeted later: “Last @HiddenCash found in the park restroom. #echopark $30”

On Friday morning, the parking lot at the Huntington Library in San Marino swarmed with people responding to a clue teased out on his Twitter account.

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Within a half-hour of posting his clues, a helicopter, news vans and hordes of vehicles and people were focused on the library’s public parking lot.

“It was like a zombie eclipse was coming out here,” said Ricardo Gomez, the library’s security manager.

The library is no stranger to large crowds, he said, but this group was a different “kind of frenzy.”

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Earlier Friday, the anonymous donor, who described himself as a wealthy real estate developer, urged his 348,000 Twitter followers to use “common sense and caution” as they search for his clues.

The California Highway Patrol tweeted: “@HiddenCash is exciting but please be careful when rushing to a location. Obey all rules of the road. Pedestrians, stay off traffic lanes.”

The notice came after hundreds of people flooded the Empire Center in Burbank on Thursday night in search of three hidden envelopes of cash.

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The frantic crowd was seen in video footage running through traffic, combing bushes and swarming a bus stop.

At one point, a woman reportedly abandoned her car on a busy street to join the scavenger hunt.

The mystery donor has described himself as being between 35 and 45 years old and “old-school,” becoming active on Twitter only to carry out the scavenger hunt, which he said was his attempt to pay it forward in the hopes that others would do the same.

He first began hiding envelopes filled with cash last week in San Francisco. When his movement picked up steam, he continued the drops in San Jose and then moved to Los Angeles, where he plans to be active for several days.

But stay tuned. @HiddenCash promises that Saturday’s money drop will be EPIC!

He tweeted Friday: “Tomorrow will be the biggest scavenger hunt in LA history, as THOU$ANDS of $$$ are hidden along a small stretch of beach. 11 AM tweet!”

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