Many residents underestimated Eliel Santos’s passion for fishing in the city’s spillways. When they saw him with a fishing rod on the sidewalks, they laughed at his unusual hobby. But the ridicule soon died down when it turned out that Santos was earning thousands of dollars from his fishing and was not catching fish.
The man chose the most unusual place for his activities – city drains, found on many sidewalks in New York. The idea to start retrieving fallen objects came to him several years ago when he accidentally noticed a man who had lost his keys in a drain.
Deciding to help, Santos used liquid glue to attach the rock to the keys and pull them out of the water. He received $50 for his kindness, and at that moment he realized his true calling.
“I know people laugh when they see me with a fishing rod, but they don’t know what a lucrative job I do,” Santos said.
Within a few years, Santos became a true expert in his field. He used magnets, rope, glue and hooks to remove valuable items from gutters on a daily basis, often amounting to hundreds or thousands of dollars.
On one of his most successful days, he even pulled out a diamond bracelet and sold it for $2,000.
Now passers-by not only do not laugh at Santos, but also respect him for his professionalism. His unusual method of earning money arouses interest and respect, because not everyone is ready to follow an unconventional path and achieve success in unusual areas.
