Couple Discovers $100,000 Safe While Magnet Fishing, Cops Allow Them to Keep Cash

A magnetfisher couple in a New York lake has found a massive treasure: a safe that harbors $100,000 in cash. James Kane and Barbie Agostini had been magnet fishing using a super magnet along a line in lakes in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, on the 31st of May. The couple felt something on the line and lifted a heavy object, which turned out to be a safe, from the lake’s bottom.

Inside the safe, the couple found a bundle of wet $100 bills amounting to no less than a rough estimate of $100,000. They quickly contacted New York police about the money, which was impressively untouched by crime, and the police returned it to them—as reported by NY1, the police didn’t take any of it.

“There were no IDs or any way to identify the original owner,” said the police. “Congratulations!” they added.

Kane explained, “We’ve come across safes before, but never like this. When we saw the money, we knew it was real. “The bills were soaking wet and mostly destroyed.” Agostini repeated his disbelief, noting no identifying information in the safe.

This couple began their hobby during the pandemic, which was relatively inexpensive and involved a form of treasure hunting. Magnet fishing involves using a strong magnet attached to a rope to retrieve metal objects from water bodies. Kane explained his motivation for taking up this unusual hobby: “We were bored during the COVID lockdown and wanted to try treasure hunting, which is how we found magnet fishing.” Their previous finds included World War II grenades, 19th-century guns, and even a full-size motorbike.