Bamboo Bob Finds Buried Treasure

09-09-2025

A shocking burglary legacy unfolds.

Our story begins in Staten Island, New York, in 2011, just after Christmas. A family discovered the infamous Ninja burglar had looted their Wooddale Avenue home. Police documented over $50,000 in stolen goods. Sadly, this was not unique. Between 2005 and 2015, the Ninja burglar plundered hundreds of homes, escaping with more than four million dollars in cash and valuables. Keep reading to discover how Bamboo Bob Finds Buried Treasure.

Justice finally caught up.

Authorities captured the forty-six-year-old thief in 2017 after years of investigation. However, only three burglary charges were possible because of the statutes of limitations. Even so, he received a twenty-two-year prison sentence with seven additional years of supervision. For most, this would be where the tale ends. For treasure hunters, however, the story took a remarkable turn.

A landscaper uncovers the unexpected.

Years later, Matthew Emanuel, a financial advisor, moved into Staten Island’s Todt Hill neighborhood. Harsh winters and hungry deer devastated his arborvitae trees, prompting a landscaping project. To solve the problem, he hired Touch the Earth Inc., a company run by Robert Foley, better known as Bamboo Bob. While surveying the damage, Bob noticed a rusty box jutting from the ground.

The safe reveals hidden spoils.

Emanuel assumed it was part of the property’s electrical system and had long covered it with mulch. Bob investigated further and realized it was a sealed safe weighing nearly one hundred pounds. Initially, he thought it was empty. However, curiosity won out. With a pickaxe, Bamboo Bob cracked it open, uncovering soggy hundred-dollar bills, jewelry, and gold tucked inside muddy bags.

Clues point to the neighbors.

The safe contained $16,300 in cleaned bills, plus an address tucked inside. Emanuel and his wife quickly recognized it as belonging to a neighbor they barely knew. On a Monday morning, Emanuel knocked on their door and asked a simple question: “Were you ever robbed?” The stunned woman admitted yes—seven years earlier.

Treasure returns to its rightful owners.

The Emanuels returned the cash and valuables without hesitation. What once symbolized crime and loss became an extraordinary moment of honesty and community. Their actions restored faith in humanity while closing a chapter on the Ninja burglar’s long trail of theft.

Bamboo marks a lucky spot.

Today, tall bamboo and a ceramic elephant mark where the safe once sat. Bamboo, long considered a symbol of luck and prosperity, fittingly honors the find. For the Emanuels, the story of Bamboo Bob Finds Buried Treasure and the Ninja burglar’s hidden spoils is unforgettable, proving that sometimes, real treasure lies right in your backyard.

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