ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

Man hoped he'd be a millionaire after rare meteorite hits his home. But now, he lives in fear instead

Inititally, reports claimed that it sold for $1.8 million which changed as the the dust cleared up.
UPDATED DEC 17, 2024
Representative image of a meteorite | Cover image source: | Getty Images | Oscar Sánchez Photography
Representative image of a meteorite | Cover image source: | Getty Images | Oscar Sánchez Photography

An Indonesian man supposedly became an instant millionaire after a meteorite crashed through his roof.  A humble coffin maker Josua Hutagalung was working next to his house when the metorite smashed into his living room. While initial reports suggested that the space rock sold for $1.8 million, the BBC later found that the number was a result of miscalculation and the actual amount may not be even close to a million dollars. Following the massive media attention and misreporting, Hutagalung had to spend his days in fear for his life while fending off interview requests.



 

Hutagalung, who lived in a village in Sumatra, was minding his own business when he heard a noise followed by a loud crash coming from his house. He mustered up the courage to go look and found a large unknown object had crashed through his metal roofing and buried itself deep in the floor. 

He told BBC's Indonesian service that when he found the rock it was still warm, which made him think that it was from outer space. Hutagalung then dug up the boulder which weighed about 4.4lb (2kg). 

Representative image showing a meteorite shooting through the sky (Image source: Pexels | Pavel Polyakov)
Representative image showing a meteorite shooting through the sky (Image source: Pexels | Pavel Polyakov)

Since it wasn't a normal occurrence, Hutagalung took to social media to share pictures of the rock, which is when the news began to travel beyond his village and across borders. 

Several collectors got interested but due to COVID-19 restrictions, nobody could get down to Indonesia. Some got in touch with US meteorite enthusiast Jared Collins, who was living in Indonesia.

He met Josua and authenticated the boulder. Soon the space rock and some other pieces of it were sold to a buyer in the US for an undisclosed amount. Some pieces even landed on eBay in the US which triggered speculation over the sale. 

As per the BBC, the $1.8 million estimate came from a miscalculation of the value based on prices put up on eBay. The asking price for a 0.3g rock was $285 and the price for a bigger rock that weighed 33.68g was $29,120. Thus, the average price per gram comes out to be $860. This multiplied by the total weight of the larger boulder gives the estimate of $1.8 million. 



 

"When I read that figure, I had to laugh," Laurence Garvie, a research professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University, told the BBC. The expert shared that no collector would pay that much for a meteorite and it may sell in the thousands but definitely not in millions. 

Josua initially told the BBC’s Indonesia service that he sold the large rock for a little over $14,000. However, the intermediary, Collins did not reveal or confirm the price, which means both figures of $1.8 million and $14,000 may not be true. 

In a rare in-person interview, Hutagalung told VICE World News that he had lived in fear for his life as criminals thought he had actually become a millionaire. He shared that he spent days rejecting interview requests as well. 

“I’m afraid my child will be kidnapped because they think I’m already rich, and they will ask for ransom,” he told VICE. He said he was still living in the same home which was still ordinary, indicating that he didn't get a million dollars. If he actually had the money, “I would recruit at least five security guards” for protection, he added.

This article originally appeared 2 months ago.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
According to the expert, personal letters and a signature from Tolkien himself added to the value of the book.
7 hours ago
Chistina and Katie Currie won over $88,000 in cash and two exotic vacations with their stunning performance.
8 hours ago
After everyone backed out, the billionaire Shark stepped up to help the founder of Diaper Dust.
1 day ago
Sun kept repeating the incorrect phrase but couldn't identify the error in time.
1 day ago
After almost closing a deal with Mr Wonderful, the founder of 'Simply Good Jars' pivoted hard.
1 day ago
The host thought it was the "worst possible answer" to give even as the team felt it was good enough.
2 days ago
Adding to the controversy, the owner of Dr. Mudd's lapdesk asked Harrison for $100,000.
2 days ago
With just milliseconds to spare, Sarah LaPilusa pulled off an incredible Bonus Round win.
2 days ago
Ozark Trail 64 oz Water Bottles were recalled after the lids of faulty bottles forcefully ejected.
3 days ago
The player laughed and giggled her way through the puzzles to win prizes worth over $57,000.
3 days ago
Scott Riccardi placed an unbelievable wager during Final Jeopardy! to win a massive amount in a day!
3 days ago
The guest got a 200% return on investment on her sculpture that she bought from Macy's.
3 days ago
Jennings had a record-setting winning streak as a contestant before he became the host.
4 days ago
The player, Ron Wheeler, tragically got no clues after his letter picks for the final puzzle.
4 days ago
The former kids champion, Skyler Hornback knew what was coming.
4 days ago
The fans took issue with the clue being too tough and unnecessary for the contestants.
5 days ago
Cuban wanted to strike a deal with the founder of Coconut Girl and gave her an ultimatum.
5 days ago
Although the word did make a lot of difference, some fans felt that the decision was ridiculous.
5 days ago
The guest, who found the item online, didn't think it was the real deal until he heard its value.
6 days ago
The player Samantha secured the first big win of Ryan Seacrest's run on the show.
6 days ago