A woman discovered a 148-year-old letter in a bottle while walking on the beach, a find that has catapulted her to overnight fame.
Amy Smith Murphy, from New Jersey, found the bottle containing the letter during her routine stroll on the Inlet State Park beach.
The glass bottle, sealed with a cork, potentially contains the oldest known message in a bottle.
Murphy, 49, discovered the bottle on the morning of July 3. She immediately shared her excitement with her 14-year-old nephew Jack Smith and 16-year-old niece Avery, who helped her investigate the mystery.
The family documented the process and shared videos on TikTok.
Upon retrieving the letter, Murphy began researching its origins.
She believes the bottle dates back to 1876, although the letter’s content remains a mystery. Murphy also found a business card inside the bottle.
Believing this to be the oldest message in a bottle, Murphy has contacted Guinness World Records.
The current record for the oldest known message in a bottle is from 1886, discovered in 2018.