Police in the United States stopped a man after he was found to have tossed hundred-dollar notes out of his car window along a busy highway last week, an act that he said was to “bless others”.

However, Mr Colin Davis McCarthy’s act of generosity has upset his family, who said his actions have left them penniless.

Mr McCarthy, 38, threw about US$200,000 (S$266,000) along the Interstate 5 in Eugene, Oregon, last Tuesday evening, according to state police, who received numerous reports of the incident. This caused vehicles along the road to stop as people left their cars to pick up the unexpected windfall.

When the police found Mr McCarthy, he told them he wanted to “bless others with gifts of money”.

He was told to stop doing so as it was causing “a significant traffic hazard”. Mr McCarthy was cooperative and agreed to stop, the police said.

He will not be facing any criminal charges, the police added.

However, his family members were upset when they heard about the incident, claiming that he had emptied their joint bank account and left them poor.

They urged anyone who picked up the cash to return it.

The Oregon police said they were unable to locate any notes when they returned to search the area the next morning.

“Motorists did a thorough job of gathering the loose money as troopers were unable to locate any further currency after the incident,” police said.