Teen magnet fisher returns safe filled with thousands he caught in river

By Adam Dutton and Matthew Taylor via SWNS

A teenage magnet fisher pulled a safe containing thousands of dollars from a river - before returning the money to its rightful owner who had it stolen 22 years ago.

George Tindale, 15, had been scouring the River Witham in Grantham, England, with his dad Kevin, 52, when he made the incredible discovery three weeks ago.

The father and son recovered the old safe and were left stunned when among the mud and slime was a pouch containing 2,500 Australian dollars (around $1,790).

Unbeknown to the pair, the safe had been stolen from businessman Rob Everett back in 2000 during a burglary at his office.

Also inside was a shotgun certificate and bank cards which expired in 2004, giving George and Kev enough information to track down the rightful owner.

After contacting Rob to explain the amazing find, the kindhearted family visited him at his business in Grantham to return the stolen property on Saturday April 16.

George said: “I mean it was amazing really. We pulled this safe out and it had all that money in.

"We counted it roughly on the bank and I think we totalled it about two and a half grand and we were just shocked.

“Rob was great. If I ever want work experience when I leave school, he said the offer is always open."

Rob said the safe was stolen from a previous office by a teenager, who was caught after Rob found a cap the burglar had left behind with their name stitched into it.

Rob, who runs Winkworth and the Money Options Group, added: “I remember at the time, they smashed into a cabinet to get to the safe.

"I was just upset that there was a nice pen on my desk, a Mont Blanc that was never recovered.

The safe being fished from the river.(Magnetic G via SWNS)

« ‹ of 13 › »

"I was just amazed that they’d been able to track me down.

“For me, I just felt there are some really nice and good people in this world. They could have kept the money, they could have said they attempted to get hold of me.

"They wanted to return the contents and the goods to the rightful owners and I think that says a lot about humanity.

"Some people are just wonderful. They’ve gone to all that trouble. I gave a small reward to George.

"What’s good about it is that George is a good mathematician apparently, and I run a wealth management company now, and I’ve offered him work experience when he’s ready to give him something back, give him some opportunity.

“I’d love him to work for us. He’s only 15 but give him a bit more time and I’d be happy to give him an opportunity.

“There’s a big lesson there. It teaches George that doing good and being honest and giving back is actually more rewarding than taking."

George regularly magnet fishes with dad Kevin and records his findings on his Youtube channel Magnetic G, attracting millions of views.

Mom Denise said her son started magnet fishing three years ago and that although he started doing it in search of treasure, his work also highlights river pollution and the harm it can have on wildlife.

She said: "George is very environmentally conscious. He always has been since primary school.

“When he first started to do this, he was after treasure. Everything ends up in the rivers and canals."

Denise said she was grateful for Rob's offer of work experience and added: "How nice is that? It's just a lovely story.

“It was absolutely the best feeling in the world. Robert was over the moon.

“It’s ironic, because it was a 12/13 year old lad that stole from him and my son is 15. It was stolen by a teenager and a teenager has given it back

"We’re doing a follow up video because we’ve got people hanging off the edges of their seats if you read through the comments."

After just six months after starting his hobby, George gained sponsorship from Online Magnets, one of the UK's leading suppliers.