CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - A man who dropped his iPhone in the Charles River while on a third date was in for quite the surprise when he fished around in that “dirty water” for his device.

At first, John Anastos, 39, tried lying down on a dock and feeling around with his hand to find the phone. When that didn’t work, he refused to “hang it up.”

“I just kind of went straight down until I hit the bottom,” he said of his decision to jump into the water.

Anasatos, who’s originally from Chicago, was on a third date with Jennifer Abramson when this unfolded.

“It was clear he’s not from Boston, because anyone who grew up here in the ’80s and ’90s would not have jumped in,” she said with a laugh.

Fifteen feet down, Anastos said he felt and retrieved one phone after another.

“It’s a prime spot for everybody that’s getting in their kayaks and paddleboats to drop them, so I think there’s probably just a line of phones along that dock,” he said.

Ultimately, he pulled up 11 cell phones. One was chipped, one was bubbled, one was broken, one was a flip phone, and one was protected by a waterproof case.

Even though Anastos didn’t find his own phone, his date posted the photos on Facebook groups, hoping to find the cell phones’ owners.

“It’s just kind of been a wild, funny ride,” Abramson said. “People on social media had all these tips for us. They were like, check emergency contact information, take out the SIM card.”

So far, they’ve found two owners and hope sharing the story will lead to more.

Abramson clarified that planning future dates won’t be a problem despite Abramson’s iPhone plunge– he has two phones.

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