A pair of magnet fishing enthusiasts reeled in the catch of a lifetime from a New York City lake: a muddy safe with an estimated $80,000 in it.
James Kane, 40, was using a rope and powerful magnet at a lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Friday when his excitement began rising because he had snagged yet another lockbox.
But as Kane pulled out the contents from inside the deposit box, he truly began to grasp the good fortune that stuck him and his girlfriend, 39-year-old Barbi Agostini.
“I looked, and it was just pure hundred dollar bills,” Kane said. “Humungous stacks of them. … I said, ‘I think life is about to change as we know it.'”
The pair told NBC News in an interview Wednesday that they began magnet fishing during the pandemic to stave off boredom.
At first, Agostini said she didn’t believe Kane had actually scored big.
“There was no words. I was in disbelief,” she said. “This kind of stuff doesn’t happen to me. I rarely win like raffles or games … much less hitting the jackpot like this.”
After finding the safe with tens of thousands of dollars in it, Kane said they notified New York City police. Authorities ultimately determined they could keep the money.
A police spokesperson said in a statement that found property valued at $10 or more is required to be reported and deposited with 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,” police said.
Kane said he’s been in touch with personnel from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., and the couple will take the money there to restore it. Refurbishing the cash could take years, Kane said.
He estimated there was between $40,000 and $80,000 in the lockbox. The couple is hoping to salvage about $60,000.
The pair from Queens have been dating since 2016. They film and post their magnet fishing adventures on social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
In a video of their windfall, Kane says, “That’s definitely another safe. Guys, got another one.” He then adds: “Stacks of bills, dude! Hundreds!”
Kane said he wanted to be a treasure hunter since he was a child. In addition to Queens, Kane and Agostini have also gone magnet fishing in bodies of water in Manhattan, including Central Park and Harlem, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Long Island.
“Every single body of water, the five boroughs, I’m going to hit all of it,” Kane said.
They turned in the motorcycle and useable weapons to police but have been able to keep some items, Kane said.
As the magnet fishing videos rack up views on YouTube, skeptics grumble on Reddit that some of the finds must be fake.
Kane and Agostini said that’s not the case.
Kane, who said he uses a magnet capable of lifting up to 3,800 pounds, emphasized the trick is to “swing for the fences:” in other words, cast the magnet as far as possible because people don’t typically toss items at the edges of bodies of water.
The couple has already considered what they will do with the money once it officially hits their bank accounts.
“A piece of property with grass and trees, somewhere to call your own place where you can have animals, chickens, goats, lots of dogs,” Agostini said. “That’s definitely our little dream.”
