A man in Indonesia becomes a millionaire after a rare meteorite crashes into his home, bringing unexpected fortune.
The unexpected fortune from the sky left the man baffled.
In 2020, a man named Josua Hutagalung from Indonesia had an extraordinary experience.
A meteorite crashed through the roof of his home in Kolang, North Sumatra.
This was no ordinary rock. It turned out to be a rare space object that would change his life forever.
Josua discovered a meteorite crashing into his home
Josua Hutagalung, the lucky homeowner, was working in front of his house when he heard a loud noise that made the ground shake.
Initially thinking it was a tree falling, he quickly realized something extraordinary had happened.
A meteorite had smashed through his veranda, creating a hole in the tin roof and burying itself 15 centimeters into the soil.
Weighing 2.1 kilograms, the meteorite was still warm when Josua retrieved it.
“The sound was so loud that parts of the house were shaking,” he recalled.
After digging it out with a hoe, he brought the meteorite inside, suspecting it to be a genuine object from space.
Scientists later identified the rock as a CM1/2 carbonaceous Chondrite, an extremely rare variety estimated to be 4.5 billion years old.
He becomes a millionaire after a meteorite hits his home
The meteorite was valued at around $1.8 million, equivalent to 30 years’ salary for Josua.
This sudden windfall allowed him to build a church in his local community and consider an early retirement.
Josua was quoted saying, “When I lifted it, the stone was still warm.
The sound was so loud that parts of the house were shaking too.”
With his newfound wealth, Josua was able to retire early and invest in his community.
He used a portion of the money to build a church.
The incident not only changed his financial situation but also brought him recognition and respect in his local area.
The interest surrounding the meteorites from around the world
The news of the meteorite spread quickly, attracting attention from around the globe.
US meteorite expert Jared Collins was among those who contacted Josua, eager to purchase the rare space rock.
Collins described how his phone “lit up with crazy offers” during the COVID-19 crisis.
He arranged to buy the meteorite and later sold it to Jay Piatek, a doctor and meteorite collector in Indianapolis.
Kolang meteorite draws attention as more fragments are found nearby
The meteorite, now officially named “Kolang,” was not the only fragment to fall in the area.
Additional pieces were discovered in nearby fields, adding up to a total weight of 2.5 kilograms.
The rare find was a significant event for the community and drew many visitors to Josua’s home, curious to see the rock that had brought him such unexpected wealth.
According to Thomas Djamaluddin, the head of Indonesia’s National Aeronautics and Space Agency (Lapan), it is rare for meteorites to fall in residential areas.
Most meteorites land in remote locations like oceans, forests, or deserts.
This made the event in Kolang even more remarkable, marking it as a unique occurrence in the study of space debris.
Around the same time, another meteorite fell in Santa Filomena, Brazil, where fragments totaling 200 pieces were found.
The largest weighed 40 kilograms and was valued at over £20,000, about 10 years’ worth of the average local salary.