Any info on how the couple that found the safe while magnet fishing opened it?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the methods used by a couple to open a safe they discovered while magnet fishing in Queens, which contained a significant amount of water-damaged cash. Participants explore various theories and techniques related to safe opening, as well as the implications of the safe's condition and potential backstory.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that there are established methods for opening safes known to manufacturers and locksmiths, but express concern about discussing these publicly.
  • One participant speculates that the couple might have had prior ownership of the safe and orchestrated its loss, raising questions about motivations and game theory.
  • Another participant notes that a skilled locksmith could open a relatively intact safe, while a rusted one might be easier to access, depending on its condition.
  • A participant recounts personal experience with safe opening, indicating that it can be done quickly with the right tools and knowledge.
  • Some participants express confusion over how the couple managed to open the safe immediately after retrieving it from the water, suggesting it may not have been locked.
  • Humorous hypothetical scenarios are presented regarding the safe's previous ownership and the circumstances of its disposal.
  • One participant emphasizes that security systems, including safes, are designed to delay rather than completely prevent access, implying that time and equipment are key factors in opening them.
  • Another participant shares personal experiences of opening safes, indicating that it can take time but is feasible.
  • Discussion includes the notion that the term "safe" may be misleading if the object was not particularly heavy or secure, suggesting it could be more akin to a lockbox.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on how the couple opened the safe, with multiple competing theories and viewpoints presented throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specific techniques used to open the safe, the condition of the safe, and the implications of its previous ownership. There are also unresolved questions regarding the couple's motivations and the nature of the safe itself.

berkeman
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It's great that they found $100,000 (waterlogged) in the safe, but I haven't been able to find how they opened it. You would think that a rusty old safe would be pretty hard to open, but the news stories just gloss over that bit. Has anybody seen how they did it?

https://abcnews.go.com/US/couple-finds-safe-100000-magnet-fishing-queens/story?id=110771629
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A New York City couple 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.
 
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There are ways of opening safes. Those methods are known by the manufacturer and by trusted locksmiths. A public forum is not the place to discuss such activity.

I expect the police consulted the manufacturer, but there are other possible explanations. One is that it was originally the couple's safe, and that they needed to launder the ill-gotten cash, so they arranged the loss and the finding.

It comes down to game theory, and expectations. You must think outside the box, about how to get into the box.
 
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Baluncore said:
There are ways of opening safes. Those methods are known by the manufacturer and by trusted locksmiths. A public forum is not the place to discuss such activity.
Yeah, but I'm not familiar with any non-brute-force (or non-time-consuming) techniques. If there is some locksmithing shortcut that I'm not aware of, I agree that we should not discuss it here. I'll ping my locksmith friend to ask about that possibility.
 
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If it's relatively intact, a locksmith - probably a more skilled one than the kid at Home Depot - can open it. If its a pile of rust, anyone can open it. In between, where the mechanism has partially rusted, well, that probably takes a specialized approach.

I once participated in a bank job. Seriously - my safe deposit box had a failure of its lock and needed to be drilled out. The paperwork easily took 10x longer than the actual drilling. With the right knowledge and tools, this goes pretty fast.
 
I'm familiar with most safe-opening techniques (don't ask), but what baffled me is that the couple apparently had no trouble opening it right there on the bridge where they hauled it out of the water. So strange...
 
berkeman said:
So strange...
Maybe it was not locked.
 
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Baluncore said:
Maybe it was not locked.
Farmer John: "Honey, I'm tired of worrying about our life savings in that safe, so I threw it in the river."

Farmer Jane: "I understand baby. Did you spin the dial before you threw it in the river?"

Farmer John: "Doh!"
 
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"My husband was a crook, I don't want anything to do with his criminal activity, so when he died I just threw his safe in the lake".
"We stole the safe from work, along with the key from the top desk draw. But when we tried to open the safe, the key did not fit, (obviously the wrong key), so we threw the safe in the lake".
 
From my days in security, I learned that no security system is designed to stop the determined incursioner; it is designed to slow them down enough - and make enough of a racket - so as to either deter them from trying or, failing that, delay them long enough for live help to arrive.

A safe being opened without fear of authorities simply sounds like a matter of time and the right equipment.
 
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Some safes are not that hard to open. I've done it. Twice actually. One safe belonged to a relative that my family was involved in the legal matters of settling his estate. It takes a bit of time. The other one I paid a dollar for on an auction. No combination supplied. All I gained was a safe. Nothing of value inside. No I won't tell how it's done.
 
  • #12
Maybe "safe" is a misnomer? If they could pull it out of the stream, it wasn't very heavy. I'm thinking more like a lockbox. You can open those with a screwdriver.