Salem Police MacGyver the Situation

Salem, MA - "MacGyver" was a popular 80s television show best known for star Richard Dean Anderson getting himself out of tight spots using a paper clip and a wad of chewing gum, among other things.

Early Sunday morning, one Salem police officer used the show for inspiration when he fished a woman's purse out of the harbor near Derby Wharf.

Shortly before 3 a.m., officers responded to a call from near the wharf from a woman who said she was swinging her purse around and it swung out of her hand and into the water near the Friendship at the Derby Wharf.

Officers spotted the purse 10 feet down on the bottom of the ocean floor. On the first attempt to retrieve the purse, officers attempted to use the life ring to pull the purse toward them.

When that attempt didn't work, officer Rafael Gonzalez had an idea he remembered from "MacGyver" to use a pool skimmer to get the purse out of the ocean.

Officers got a skimmer from a nearby hotel, and Gonzalez was able to get the purse out of the ocean using the end of the skimmer.

The woman was very thankful to the officers for getting the purse back for her, according to police.