A map to a $10,000 treasure in San Francisco was shared online - it sent the city into a tizzy
One lucky San Franciscan just became $10,000 richer.
A mysterious treasure hunt that popped up on a San Francisco subreddit came to an end 11 hours after it began when the treasure chest – reportedly valued at $10,000 – was found Tuesday buried somewhere beneath the city.
Locals went scrambling in search of the buried treasure, which contained 'gleaning ingots, currency and San Francisco artifacts,' according to a website about the hunt.
About half the chest's value was in gold, the scavenger hunt's organizers said. A spokesperson for the unnamed organizers told KRON4 that the group behind it had paid for all the treasure themselves.
On Reddit, organizers shared a photo of a treasure map and an elaborate set of clues that those looking to participate in the hunt would follow, writing alongside the puzzle: 'We always figured treasure hunting would feature more heavily in life. Right alongside quicksand and tatter rope bridges.'
'Sadly, the science seems to be out on quicksand and, thanks to modern building standards, rope bridges are stronger than ever,' they continued. 'Buried treasure chests seem equally rare, but those we realized we could do something about. And so we did.'
Redditors in the comment section questioned whether the hunt was a sneaky advertisement or marketing ploy, and plenty were quick to make a joke of the bizarre scenario.
'This better not be a stealth ad for some AI B2B service that nobody wants or needs but will be forced to buy and use,' one person wrote.
'Inside you will find only a pair of tickets to Shen Yun,' another commentator joked.
Others quipped that the city would 'fine them' '$10,000 for unlawful digging' for participating in the hunt.
After the treasure was located late Tuesday, the organizers took to Reddit to share the news, writing, 'Well, that went A LOT faster than anyone anticipated,' the treasure hunt posters said on Reddit Wednesday. 'Months were hoped for, days felt possible, but 11 hours… wow.'
It was not immediately known who organized the treasure hunt or where it was found. The spokesperson said the group hoped to remain anonymous as 'whimsy and adventure and mischief and hijinks does live in a sort of legal gray area.'
The organizers hope to one day throw another treasure hunt, noting online, 'If any deep-pocketed collaborators are interested, please do reach out.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘I was let out': New Orleans man who escaped jail pleads case on social media
A man still at large after escaping from a New Orleans jail last month appears to have taken to social media to plead his case to the public. In a video that quickly went viral, the man identifying himself as Antoine Massey – one of 10 prisoners who fled from the Orleans Justice center (OJC) on 16 May – said he was wrongfully accused and held up papers he said corroborate his innocence. 'They say that I broke out,' he said, speaking directly to the camera. 'I didn't break out. I was let out.' Authorities have been searching the New Orleans area for more than two weeks since the men squeezed through a hole behind a toilet in the jail. Graffiti left on the wall included the message 'To Easy LoL' with an arrow pointing to the gap. Eight of the 10 have been apprehended, along with more than a dozen people – many of them friends and family – arrested on allegations of helping the group with food, cash, transportation or shelter, according to court documents. Along with Massey, Derrick Groves has not yet been found. Officials have not yet verified that the person in the footage was Massey. But the man in the video, clad in a sweatsuit and sitting on a stool in a minimally furnished kitchen, has the facial tattoos that match Massey's. He called for an investigation into his conviction and asked for help from public figures, including Donald Trump and Meek Mill. Holding up a wrinkled paper to the camera, he claimed he had a signed affidavit from a woman he is accused of assaulting saying the allegations are false. 'If you was an innocent person,' he said, 'why would you stay in jail?' Massey was being held on the theft of a vehicle and for a domestic abuse charge involving strangulation when he escaped. He has a history of both domestic violence charges and escaping from incarceration. At the age of 15 he broke out of a juvenile detention center with five others using metal shackles to break a window and was on the run for weeks, CNN reported. Massey slipped under a fence in the exercise yard of a detention center at age 27. Court records show there was a third attempt, along with several cases alleging he 'tampered and/or removed the court-ordered GPS monitor'. Now 32, Massey appears to be claiming this attempt to get out is justified. Meanwhile, the FBI, US Marshals Service, state and local police, and the Orleans parish sheriff's office have continued the search. As of Monday, the reward was set for $50,000 if information leads to the arrest of Groves or Massey. In a statement, the Orleans parish sheriff's office said they were aware of the video and encouraged Massey to turn himself in. 'If the individual depicted in the video is indeed Antoine Massey, we strongly urge him to come forward and turn himself in to the proper authorities,' the statement said. 'Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges. It is important that justice is served appropriately and that due process is followed.' The Associated Press contributed reporting
Times
43 minutes ago
- Times
Spy suspect ‘did not want to leave fortune cookie as calling card'
A British businessman accused of spying for China told an FBI informant not to leave a fortune cookie as a calling card at the scene of a planned assault on a Chinese-American dissident, according to court documents. John Miller, 63, was arrested in April while on a business trip in Belgrade, Serbia, on the orders of the FBI after a sting operation in which he was allegedly caught spying for China and trying to buy military hardware in the US for the People's Liberation Army. Court documents allege that Miller was caught referring to President Xi as 'the boss' in intercepted phone calls, showing he was acting under the 'direction' of Beijing. Miller, who is from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, as well as being a permanent resident of the US, is also alleged to have organised the surveillance and harassment of a Chinese-American artist who was critical of the Chinese regime, telling a henchman to make him an 'offer he can't refuse … like the Godfather'. In one phone call with an FBI informant in October 2023, Miller allegedly suggested attacking the artist and leaving him unable to walk. The artist had created an 'embarrassing' sculpture showing Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, kneeling on sand, naked from the waist up. 'It's the message they give. You know? We're gonna make sure you're not f***ing walking. We're gonna put you in a wheelchair for three f***ing months or something. That's what I'll say. That's it. It's their signature,' he said, according to court documents. Later in the call, he is said to have told the informant: 'The message has to be you ain't walking for a little while motherf***er. Not giving him brain damage. Just lower body damage.' In response, the informant allegedly suggested they 'leave a fortune cookie so they know it was a China man', to which Miller said: 'Oh no they don't want any connection to a China man.' According to the court documents, the informant responded: 'Oh. Leave leave a pork rind.' Miller allegedly replied: 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, make it look like a mugging … And there'd be another message coming.' When asked what the other message was Miller allegedly said that the artist's family could be targeted next. He is claimed to have agreed with the informant that the planned assault was 'absolutely f***ing overkiller' but that it was all about 'what the big fella wants'. Miller was arrested on April 24 in Serbia, where he is being held after being accused of conspiring with a US-based Chinese citizen called Cui Guanghai, 43. The businessman has been charged in the US with interstate stalking, conspiracy to commit interstate stalking, smuggling and violations of the Arms Export Control Act. Miller is accused of conspiring with Cui Guanghai. Both could face up to 40 years in prison if they are convicted If convicted, both Miller and Guanghai, who held a position in the Chinese government, according to documents filed at the Eastern District Court of Wisconsin, face up to 40 years in prison. A 14-page Wisconsin indictment alleges that Miller, a recruitment specialist, was caught in a sting after arms dealers he was negotiating with turned out to be undercover FBI agents. He is accused of attempting to procure equipment including surface-to-air missiles, predator drones and a handheld device for the secure communication of 'classified and sensitive national security information'. A second 67-page indictment, filed in California, accuses Miller and Guanghai, known as 'Jack', of mounting the operation against the artist. Transcripts between Miller and an associate allege they discussed assaulting the artist, either by shooting him or hitting him with a baseball bat. Miller is also alleged to have orchestrated a scheme in which the FBI informant hired actors to stage a pro-China protest against a visit by the president of Taiwan to the US. On Sunday neighbours of Miller's £1.5 million, five-bedroom home described him as a respectable family man who often went to the Far East for business. According to Companies House records, Miller has been a director or a majority shareholder of at least nine firms, including the now-dissolved TEFL Jobs China Ltd. The Foreign Office said: 'We are providing consular assistance to a British national following his arrest in Serbia in April and are in touch with the local authorities and his family.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Twilight star pushes back after being sued for $60K in allegedly unpaid rent
A Twilight star is being sued by his former landlord for months of unpaid rent. Cam Gigandet, 42, who played bad vampire James in Twilight with new dad Robert Pattison and Kirsten Stewart, allegedly owes $60,000 in for rent due between November 2023 and February 2024. A lawsuit filed my Ronald Goldhammer claims the Desert Dawn actor, 42, and his ex-wife Dominique Geisendorff leased the home from him, agreeing to pay $6,650 a month on a one-year lease, according to documents obtained by Goldhammer first claimed in a lawsuit filed in June 2024 that Gigandet, his wife and their three kids had lived in the house, during the disputed period, but had not paid him, and wanted them to pay-up or forfeit the lease. Goldhammer later amended his complaint claiming the couple, who have since divorced, moved out of the house in April 2024. Daily Mail has reached out to Gigandet's representatives for comment. The complaint reads, 'Defendants failed to pay the rent owed, but nevertheless, continued to occupy the [home].' In his response on May 15, Gigandet and his attorneys denied all allegations and said his actions were 'reasonable, lawful and in good faith.' Any damage Goldhammer claims took place on the property, the Love Hurts star's attorneys argued, were caused by a third party or parties, although they did not specify who that might be. '[Goldhammer's] claims are barred, in whole or in part, because the conduct of [Gigandet] was not a substantial factor in bringing about [Goldhammer's] alleged injuries and/or damages, if any, and therefore was not a contributing or proximate cause thereof.' In addition, his lawyer claimed, that his client 'is informed and believes and thereon alleges, he is excused from performance under the agreement alleged in the First Amended Complaint due to the acts, omissions, and/or material breaches of [Goldhammer] with respect to the matters and things alleged in the First Amended Complaint.' Gigandet and Geisendorff finalized their divorce in 2024 and their settlement provides an interesting look into the ups and downs of a journeyman actor such as Gigandet, who works steadily smaller budget projects, according to court papers obtained by He was awarded 100-percent interest in his business, a portion of his pension plan, his checking accounting with $6,380, another account with $280 and all earnings from the date of their separation, listed as May 1, 2022. Geisendorff was awarded her 2016 Range Rover, a checking account with $34, a portion of Cam's pension plan, her clothing collection and various other items. The actor's former landlord claims he and his now ex-wife Dominique Geisendorff did not pay rent on the house they leased from him between November 2023 and February 2024; Pictured in Pasadena, CA in October 2009 The pair will share joint legal and physical custody of their three children; twins Everleigh and Armie, 16, and Rekker, 12. The Shrapnel star agreed to pay spousal support based on his income. He's also required to notify Geisendorff with 'monthly statements of income and shall provide any knowledge of upcoming work to Dominique as soon as possible.' Gigandet has since expanded his family and his responsibilities. He and his partner, Outlander actress Hannah James, welcomed their son Dare in October 2024.
