What, I’m supposed to be surprised that you found a gun in the Silver Lake Park reservoir?
That was the vibe among posters on Instagram after the Advance/SILive.com reported that a starter pistol and a pair of brass knuckles had been found in a suddenly dry basin of the Silver Lake Park reservoir.
“That gun definitely killed someone,” Instagram poster giovanni529 said.
Pistol and brass knuckles found at Silver Lake Park reservoir.Reader submitted photo
The weapons were discovered wrapped in black electrical tape at the park. Water levels in the reservoirs have dropped to stunning levels thanks to warm weather and a lack of rainfall.
The evaporation has allowed urban explorers to descend into the basins for a look around even though the city Department of Environmental Protection has warned against that.
Pistol that was found wrapped in black masking tape in Silver Lake Park reservoir basin.Reader submitted photo
Many Instagram posters were quick to sound off about the find:
“So ur saying .. there could be treasure ?” said poster killianmccole.
“What in the Saturday night special is goin on 😂” – the\_hungry\_guido\.
“Why is this news.. id be shocked if theres not 100 more at the bottom” – gasface.
“That belongs to my cousin’s dad’s brother from the first marriage. He shot his girlfriend’s mother’s aunt with that and tossed it in there.” – jeffreypwiesemann.
“Swim with the fishes era…. 🤌🤌🤌🤌” – aelias.
“Wyatt earp lost his pistol….😂” – joeyspecial61.
“That gun definitely killed someone” – giovanni529.
“Bahahaha I love this island” – notsophdeane.
“lol not too surprised” – maltezokevin.
“Cap gun” – martins\_williamsburgland.
The gun was discovered by a former Staten Islander named Chris who was exploring the basin.
Another reader, a former Staten Islander who gave his name as Michael, said that the pistol appeared to be an Italian-made RTS Model 1966 .22-caliber starter pistol.
Starter pistols fire blanks, but it was still speculated that the Silver Lake gun could have been used in a crime.
“Why go through all of that trouble to wrap it up in a mile of tape and hurl it into a lake along with a large rock?” Chris said.
You can tread on ground that’s usually submerged in the reservoir basins at Silver Lake Park.Tom Wrobleski/Staten Island Advance
The DEP cautioned urban explorers to refrain from visiting the areas of the Silver Lake Park reservoirs that have been newly exposed by dwindling water levels.
“Fencing and signage are installed around Silver Lake to clearly warn visitors not to trespass onto the reservoir grounds. Regardless of the current water level, DEP strongly urges the public to stay out of the basins, as doing so poses serious safety risks and could result in injury.”
Back in 2017, a revolver was found by a magnet fisher at the bottom of a lake in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens.
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