As kids we dream of finding lost treasure in our backyard, fantasizing about the many treasures that would bring us riches. For one man in Staten Island, New York that childhood dream actually became a reality when he came to learn that an old rusty box in his backyard was actually an unopened safe.
For 4 years Matthew Emanuel had noticed a rusty box hidden among the tree line in his backyard but he had mistaken it for an old, rusty electrical box. Thinking nothing special of it, he let it be until the day he hired workers to come in and put bamboo in place of where the old trees stood. It was then that he learned that the rusty electrical box was actually a safe. Shocked, he opened it up, never expecting it to actually hold treasures inside but he was wrong and the safe contained much more history than he thought.
Inside he found cash, jewelry, diamonds, precious jade, an engagement ring, gold and much more. Matthew was at a loss for words. How was it possible that this safe had just been left in his backyard? After emptying out the contents inside he found a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it. That address was that of his next-door neighbor. Seeking answers, Matthew went over to his neighbor’s house and asked if they had ever been robbed. It seemed like an odd question to them but they replied yes and stated they had been robbed 7 years ago. After checking with the police it was in fact true that his neighbors had filed a robbery dating 7 years back for about $52,000 in assets. Matthew couldn’t believe it and knew the right move was to return the safe back to his neighbors – an act of kindness we hope comes back to him. Watch more about this incredible story in the video below.