Couple says they found safe containing $100K while magnet fishing in Queens

NEW YORK -- A New York City couple said they got the surprise of a lifetime while magnet fishing in Queens -- a safe containing about $100,000.

James Kane and Barbi Agostini visited Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens last Friday, tossing their rope fishing line with a powerful magnet on the end into a stream and pulling out a safe. After opening it, the couple found clusters of water-damaged $100 bills that amounted to about $100,000.

While it was not the couple's first time catching a safe, they had never hooked one with treasure inside, so they contacted the New York Police Department to report their discovery in case it was a part of illegal activity.

The couple said the NYPD told them they could not connect the safe to a crime because the money was in poor condition and there was no ID or hints of who the item belonged to originally. The police allowed Kane and Agostini to keep the money, the couple said. The NYPD didn't return ABC News' request for comment.

"It still doesn't feel real," Kane told ABC News of their six-figure find.

Although they made a huge haul with their magnet and rope, the couple faces a long road ahead before cashing in.

"The money would deteriorate more with touch," Agostini said of the water-logged bills.

Their next step, they said, is to take the crumbling money to the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., where they believe it can be reconstructed.

Kane and Agostini became interested in magnet fishing during COVID-19 and bought their first kit in 2023.

"Through magnet fishing, you can get rich and clean the environment at the same time," Kane said.

Some of their previous finds have included guns, a grenade, a full-sized motorcycle and a drone.

The pair have been documenting their fishing adventures on YouTube.

"People enjoy watching you take the garbage out of the water, especially in the heart of New York City," Agostini said.