A Mesa dermatologist's recreational dive turned into a discovery of a decades-lost wallet in the waters of Salt River, bringing an unexpected blast from the past for a Chicago woman, reports FOX 10 Phoenix. Dr. Jeremy Bingham stumbled upon Julia Hsia's wallet, lost in 1995, submerged 15 feet under, while scouring the riverbed – a hobby he's enjoyed since childhood fueled by memories of his father taking him to the river.
Hsia's wallet was a lost relic from a day when her cousin's display of his new truck's might against the river ended in the vehicle being swept downstream, filling with water in the process – Julia, her boyfriend Paul, cousin Arnold, and Arnold's young nephew Matthew, all escaped with the help of bystanders, but her wallet remained behind, recounted UPI News.
The discovery was likened to unearthing a "little time capsule," by Dr. Bingham, who used social media to track down Hsia and reconnect her with her long-lost belongings - the wallet still housed her old credit cards and a driver's license. "Finding a wallet that was lost and preserved in the river for over 28 years was a real treat," Dr. Bingham told the UPI News.
Hsia, now awaiting the wallet mailed back to her, expressed curiosity over her past in an unbroken stream of thoughts, wondering aloud about what she looked like in her license photo and not even realizing she owned credit cards back then, she told the UPI News; simultaneously a similar event occurred at the Plaza Theater in Atlanta where another wallet, lost for 65 years, returned to the owner's family, adding to the string of serendipitous discoveries.
