Couple Find Safe In Back Yard With $52,000 Worth Of Treasure

Almost every child dreams of finding buried treasure in their back garden. Of course, it never happens because, well, people don't tend to bury treasure in their gardens.

This is maybe the exception to that rule, however. Matthew and Maria Colonna-Emanuel might not be kids anymore, but the couple - who live in Staten Island, New York - recently discovered a massive treasure haul inside a safe that had been hidden by trees in their back yard.

They'd noticed the rusty metal box in the garden when they first moved into their house, but thought it was an electrical box or part of a cable. It was only when wildlife had eaten much of the foliage behind their house that the couple realised it was a safe and dug it up.

Inside was a large amount of wet money in plastic bags, jewellery and other items worth a whopping $52,000. Speaking to CNN, Matthew said the safe held 'hundreds, jewelry, diamonds, engagement ring. Dozens of rings, gold with jade. It was stunning'.

The safe also contained a piece of paper with the address of one of their neighbours, so the couple went to talk to them.

"First, I knocked on the door and I asked them if they were ever robbed and they said they were," said Matthew. It turns out they had been - on Boxing Day in 2011 - though the only thing taken was the safe, which police told the victims they would never see again.

Eight years later, however, thanks to the Colonna-Emanuels, who gave everything back, the neighbours were reunited with their cash and possessions .

When asked why they didn't keep the loot, Maria's answer was short and to the point.

"It wasn't even a question," she said. "It wasn't ours."

"The reward is karma. Good karma." Matthew added.

It's a remarkable story, but it does bring up all sorts of questions about what led the robbers to ditch the safe without taking any of its contents.

Really, though, it's proof that not everybody in the world is greedy or selfish, which is always nice to be reminded of, especially these days.

Featured Image Credit: CNN

Topics: News, Money, US News, crime

Mischa Pearlman

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]