Mysterious metal seats on N.J. beach believed to be from artificial reef

Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A set of rusted-out metal seats that washed up on a New Jersey beach probably came loose from a railcar used to make an artificial reef, police said.

Local resident Matthew Perry posted a series of videos to TikTok showing the row of four rusted-out seats he found on a beach in Margate.

Jacob theorized they might have been airplane seats from a crash, but the Margate Police Department said they appear to have a far less tragic origin.

"The seats are far too heavy to have come from anything like a plane," Margate Police Chief Matthew Hankinson told NJ.com.

Investigators said they believe the seats came loose from a railcar that was dropped into the water to create the Point Lookout artificial reef along the southern shore of Long Island.

"The seats are stripped down to the metal with nothing left from cushions, seat belts or buckles that would indicate they came from a plane crash," police Lt. Joe Scullion said. "A detective did some further research and found that decommissioned railcar seats are typically stripped down to the metal parts and taken out to sea and dumped to help build artificial reefs."