A magnet fisherman was given a massive surprise when he uncovered what he thought was a make-up case, only to find something far scarier inside

11:53, Mon, Mar 16, 2026 Updated: 11:54, Mon, Mar 16, 2026

A magnet being thrown into a river on a piece of rpe

A man who went magnet fishing made an incredible discovery (Image: YouTube/@‎⁨CapeCodMagnetCrew⁩)

A fisherman had to call the police after what he found when he reeled in his catch.

Nate DeMontigny engages in something known as magnet fishing –where one fishes for magnetic objects using a Nedoymium magnet attached to some rope. He was fishing from a bridge when he brought up a metal case.

At first, Nate, who posts about his magnet fishing exploits on his YouTube channel Cape Cod Magnet Crew, thought it was a make-up case.

However, just as he was about to throw the case in the rubbish, he decided to open it up to see if there was anything in there. And what he found caused him to call the police.

A gun in a case

The gun was found in acase (Image: YouTube/@‎⁨CapeCodMagnetCrew⁩)

He discovered a gun, specifically a Derringer pistol, a pistol sized weapon renowned for only being able to fire one or two bullets.

The gun is named after its creator Henry Deringer and famously one Derringer was reportedly used by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. However, due to newspapers of the time misspelling the gun’s name, adding an extra r, the name Derringer remained.

Speaking about the find to Newsweek, Nate said he had a theory as to how it had ended up in the river. He said: “It was just an assumption but based on the fact it still had the tag, I guessed it was stolen and someone got scared about getting caught with it and tossed it.”

Nate, in response to his find, immediately called the local arm of the police who came out to inspect the gun and take it away. Nate explained that the Bridgewater’s Police Department is to hold the gun for around a year to see if anyone claims it before deciding what to do with it.

Two hands holding a gun

Nate later called the police and handed the gun in (Image: YouTube/@‎⁨CapeCodMagnetCrew⁩)

However, should he be allowed to keep it, Nate said he does have plans to restore and store it. He explained: “When I do get it back, I hope to clean it up and mount it in a shadow box. I think it is my best find at this point.”

The latest news from around the world Invalid email

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy

Nate said that it ranks among some of his best finds during his time as a magnet fisher and said that the was told by the police that “as long as it comes back clean, I can get it back”.

Nate is one of many magnet fishes in the US. Whilst its primary goal is to find valuable items, it serves a second purpose of cleaning rivers and lakes of metallic material that can pollute or clog up waterways.