As children, don’t we all dream of finding hidden treasure? Maybe it’s a pirate’s secret stash or a greedy leprechaun’s pot of gold— but whatever the fantasy, the dynamics stay the same: stumbling across beautiful riches and living in luxury for the rest of your life. “Don’t worry about it, Mom. I can buy my own baseball cards,” you’ll tell her. And can you imagine the look on Johnny’s face when you show up wearing the coolest shoes?
Few of us outgrow these dreams, but the chances of finding buried treasure are slim. Somehow, however, Matthew Emmanuel from New York managed to do just that— but it’s what he did afterward that is truly amazing.
Matthew and his wife Maria have lived in their New York home for roughly the past four years.
They never noticed anything peculiar about their property; it looked like all the others in the neighborhood, with its pristine yard and decorative bamboo trees.
One day, though, after a deer wandered over for a little snack, Matthew and Maria noticed a peculiar box.
“It was really prominent when the deer ate away all the foliage,” Matthew told CityNews Toronto.
The safe was old and rusted. The white paint was peeling off, and it looked like it had been sitting outside for a while. Feeling curiosity overwhelm them, Bob and Matthew did what any two people would do. They checked to see what was inside and were stunned by what they discovered.
Upon hearing that their items had been recovered, “She [the neighbor] was shaking,” Matthew said. It’s unclear what happened during the robbery, but at some point, the thief must have left the stolen items on Matthew’s property— and never, ever returned. Although the couple did not want to be featured on camera, they did tell CityNews Toronto that they were surprised by the events and grateful that their things have been found— now, 7 years later.
Maria said some people tease the couple, asking why gave the money back.
Fifty-two thousand dollars can buy a whole lot of items, but to her, none of them are as valuable as honesty, respect, and integrity.
“A couple people have said to us, ‘Why did you return it?’
When asked if he received some kind of award from his neighbors, Matthew says his reward is “good karma.”
It’s so cool how this story unfolded. Although it wasn’t the treasure Matthew had dreamed of as a kid, he did an amazing deed in returning it to its rightful owners.
