Magnet Fishing Couple Discovers Safe Containing $100K in N.Y.C.: 'I Did Not Believe It'
"Once I seen the actual dollars and the security ribbons, I lost it," treasure hunter Barbara Agostini said
It was not a typical day of magnet fishing for New Yorkers James Kane and Barbara Agostini.
The couple, who hail from Queens, pulled a safe from the water in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Friday, May 31, using their fishing magnet. When they opened the safe, they found cash worth an estimated $100,000 inside, Spectrum News NY1 and ABC affiliate WPVI-TV reported.
“I thought it was a bunch of the little baggies that you would put cash in,” Kane told NY1, while Agostini added, “I did not believe it. I thought it was the baggies too and he was just joking. He says, ‘No for real.’ He shows me, and once I seen the actual dollars and the security ribbons, I lost it.”
Kane described the stacks of money as "thick" and "soaking wet." Unfortunately, he said, the money was “pretty much destroyed” after being submerged in the water.
Per the outlets, the couple contacted the New York City Police Department about their find.
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“We did some research and we actually found that there could be some legalities or something like that,” Kane told NY1.
Agostini went on to share that according to the NYPD, the safe "was stolen" but there was no way to find the person it origianly belonged to. "So they were like, 'Well, congratulations,' " she added, per the outlet.
"As a general matter, found property valued at ten dollars or more is required to be reported to, and deposited with, the police. In this instance, the value and authenticity of the alleged currency could not be determined due to the severely disintegrated condition of the property," a spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information told PEOPLE.
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The couple also told NY1 that police officers visited the couple’s home to see the safe for themselves as they never heard of a case like this in their careers before.
In addition to the safe, the couple told the outlet that their magnet fishing discoveries have included World War II grenades in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, vintage firearms in Flushing Meadows, and a motorcycle in the couple’s local pond.
According to WPVI-TV, they chronicle "their fishing adventures" in videos posted on YouTube.
PEOPLE reached out to Kane for comment.
Related: Treasure Chest Hidden 10 Years Ago and Said to Be Worth Millions Is Finally Found
According to Popular Mechanics, magnet fishing enthusiasts use a strong magnet to pull objects from the water. A number of powerful magnets can retrieve items that weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.
Earlier this year, two military projectiles were pulled via magnet fishing from Massachusetts' Charles River, prompting an intervention from authorities to secure the objects.
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