Magnet fishermen recover dozens of electric scooters from the Anacostia River in DC

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A heap of trash and electric scooters covered in mud catches the eye of just about everyone passing in DC's Navy Yard neighborhood.

“How did that get in there? I want to know this," said Cedric Ellis, a Southeast DC resident walking along the Anacostia River Sunday.

"I ran out here a few days ago and I saw these lined up over here," said Zoe Ellis. "There was a bunch of them.”

The scooters and trash were pulled from the water by magnet fishermen Ian White and Kevin Sutliff.

“It's our hobby on the weekends," said White. "We try to go around different waterways all over the state, moving on to different states now, and try to clean up and get stuff out of the water.”

“It's a Neodymium magnet," said Sutliff. "We attach it to the rope and throw it in the water and see what we find. It's almost just like regular fishing. You get what you get.”

In late October, they recovered a record haul along the Anacostia River near Nationals Park.

“I didn't expect to see 31 scooters and bikes in two days, let alone an electric shopping cart," said White.

Aside from electric scooters, bikes and trash, White and Sutliff say they’ve pulled things like jewelry, construction materials and children’s toys from these waters and on rare occasions, recover something they feel compelled to tell police about.

"We pulled a pistol up there one time at Georgetown. We called that in, had the police come pick it up," said White. "The pistols aren't super common, but when we do find them, we try to turn them in if they're new enough to warrant potential crime.”

White and Sutliff scrap, donate or keep some of what they find. Always leaving the water they fish better than they found it.

“Will we ever be able to swim in the Anacostia or some of these rivers? But, you know, we're making it a little bit cleaner," said White.

Cedric and Zoe Ellis, who live nearby, appreciate it.

"Glass half full, I’m glad that there’s someone out there taking this stuff out, because that’s just one step towards where we’re trying to get," said Cedric Ellis.

'We’re trying to clean the neighborhood as well, so I feel like it’s all connected." said Zoe Ellis.