Magnet Fishing Couple Latches on to a Sunken Safe with $100K Cash Inside

A magnet fishing couple has reeled in the mother lode after attaching their ‘hook’ on to an old safe in the bottom of a lake in the middle of New York City. While this wasn’t the first time they ‘caught’ a safe, it was the first time the contents contained $100,000 in cold hard cash.

Using it as a way to get outdoors during the pandemic, James Kane and Barbie Agostini of New York got into magnet fishing. The hobby, which is like fishing, but instead of hooking into fish, the goal is to hook on treasure at the bottom of lakes and rivers. Calling it “poor man’s treasure hunting,” Kane and his wife have since become quite successful at the obscure pastime, hauling in jewelry, watches, coins, a drone, a motorcycle, and multiple guns. 

As part of their exploits, they’ve launched a successful YouTube channel in which they document their findings for the world to see. With the channel stacking millions of views since they launched last year, this latest ‘catch’ is sure to help push things along.

Fishing at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queen’s, the couple hauled in the safe and were able to open it themselves. It was at this moment that they discovered “fat stacks” of $100 bills wrapped in plastic and bundled with security bands. Doing the right thing, the couple instantly alerted the NYPD about their finding. As officers opened an investigation surrounding their find, they soon concluded that they were unable to trace the origins of the cash or crimes it could have been connected to. Making it official, police announced that the magnet fishing couple could keep the cash for themselves.

The next step would be an attempt to restore some of the cash that had suffered water damage. According to reports from ABC News, the couple is planning on transporting the cash to the Treasury Department in D.C., “where they believe it can be reconstructed.” According to the Bureau of Engraving & Printing, the federal agency that prints U.S. currency, holders of mutilated currency may receive a redemption at full value if “clearly more than 50% of a note identifiable as United States currency is present, along with sufficient remnants of any relevant security feature.” 

While the couple has expressed that the main motivation behind their magnet fishing is ecological in nature, it’s nice to know that at least every once and awhile, they get paid for hauling trash out of New York’s waterways.