Magnet Fishermen Discover Stolen Casino Chips, ATM, and Guns

Magnet fisherman in Louisiana accidentally discovered a series of items linked to a crime.

Among the items retrieved by the unsuspecting fishermen, named Bryce Nachtwey and Joseph Harrick, were an ATM machine, casino vouchers, and guns. The items were found in a canal off of Sheffield Street in New Orleans East. 

The sunken treasure was linked to a robbery that occurred several months ago at Carrollton Station Bar on Willow Street, also in New Orleans.

Not your every-day discovery

Magnet fishing is far different from traditional fishing, be it catch-and-release or hunting. Instead, fishermen dangle strong magnets over bodies of water to retrieve metal objects floating around or sitting on the bottom of the water.

Magnet fishermen turned out after Hurricane Francine wreaked havoc on the New Orleans area. More than seven inches of rain, over three times the regular amount at this time of year, flooded local streets on September 11.

It took time for the fishermen to realize the magnitude of the items they fetched from the canal.

“At first, we didn’t realize it was an ATM, then we got it out of the water, and we started freaking out,” Nachtwey said. “It was the first ATM machine we ever found, so it was just insane.”

“When we were pulling the safe up, we could see that there were deposit bags in there and then at the bottom, there was a big brick,” Harrick said. “I turned it over and opened it and it looked like money. We found casino vouchers, and we thought we hit the jackpot, and we were all going to be able to retire.”

Once it was all said and done, the pair collected roughly $50,000 worth of casino vouchers.

Good samaritans 

Unfortunately for the opportunistic fishermen, they were not allowed to keep their treasure. They returned the vouchers and the ATM to the bar, which rewarded them with a $400 bar tab, and then notified the New Orleans Police Department of their discovery.

"We kind of just connected the dots,” said Harrick. “We went to return the safe and we basically solved the crime.”

It only took the use of several five-pound magnets to suck the ATM and the various items up from the water. 

“You never know what you’re going to find,” Harrick said of magnet fishing and the magnets they used, which can grab onto items up to 3,500 pounds in weight.

Nachtwey and Harrick aren’t just searching for underwater goodies. They have a goal of cleaning up 10,000 pounds of trash before the end of the month. 

They say that they are a little more than halfway to completing their goal.