Couple Discovers 'Electrical Box' In Backyard Was Actually A Safe Filled With Treasure

If you grew up on cheesy action-adventure movies like me that are set in the early 20s or 30s, then you probably are wary of ancient treasures and the inevitable curses they'll bring upon you.

I know it seems like an irrational fear, but the idea that my greed and desire for a "shortcut" to fame and fortune resulting in an eventual and horrible curse is something I worry about a little too much, seeing as they're not real (probably). So the idea of grave/tomb robbing isn't something I'm into, because I don't want a visit from any supernatural creatures chasing me to the ends of the earth.

But ancient artifacts is where I draw the line. If I find an old-timey safe or something that's existed in the last couple of centuries and it's filled with modern day cash and goods, you best believe I'm going to take that stuff with a clear conscience or fear of repercussion.

Which is why I can't understand, for the life of me, why this couple would do what they did when they discovered a rusty safe behind some trees in their backyard. A safe that they thought for the longest time was just an electrical box. It wasn't.

This gross-looking box was on their property. This gross looking box contained $52,000 in cash, gold, and diamonds. This gross looking box could been their next decadent vacation. A double-or-nothing "bet on black" single game of roulette. A brand new supercharged Audi. A  $52K bitcoin investment.

And Matthew and Maria Colonna Emanuel decided they couldn't keep it. They could've said, "Finders keepers." They could've easily kept the money and all of the belongings. But there's a reason they didn't.

It's because the couple are decent people. In addition to all of the discovered loot, these two State Island folks found a sheet of paper.

On that paper, was an address.

Because they have a conscience or whatever, they knew that they needed to contact the person whose name was on the address and as it turns out, that person was their neighbor.

So they knocked on their door and asked if they'd ever been burglarized. Turns out that they were and the police reports from 2011 prove it.

So the couple let their neighbor know that they had their safe without hesitation, which of course, people admired. Because it's very easy to talk yourself into keeping it in that situation, think of all the excuses?

They probably got insurance to cover it.

or:

This is fate, the universe is looking out for me.

or the most compelling:

Finder's keepers, b****es.

People on Twitter not only commended the couple for their honesty...

...but they also had a bunch of questions for whoever stole the safe.

Like, if they were planning on going back and getting the safe after stealing it, why didn't they ever go back and pick it up? Why would they leave it so close to the crime scene?

And then a bunch of other people basically told the same joke.

The story also inspired some hopeful treasure hunters to grab a shovel and go to work in their own backyards.

And others lamenting their own misfortune.

Honestly, as sad as it sounds, I know plenty of people who happened upon $52,000 randomly just means they'll be in less debt than they were before. #StudentLoanLife.