August 01, 2025
Veil/Facebook
When players in a treasure hunt created by South Jersey brothers find the veil, above, they receive thousands in a cash prize. In the game, participants get anywhere from seven to 22 days to search and receive daily clues and maps.
Treasure hunters are combing through South Jersey's forests in search of a small, gold object with a purple gemstone. The jewel is fake, but the first person to get their hands on it wins a prize worth thousands.
The hunt is known as the Veil, and is the latest in a series from Jeff and Paul DuVilla, brothers who grew up in Hammonton. Created earlier this year, the Veil is a challenge anywhere from seven to 22 days long, where participants get daily clues within a slowly shrinking search area. The current one, which has five days remaining, is centered around South Jersey and includes both Tabernacle and Washington townships.
Hunters can check the Veil's website for a map, which will show a circle with the approximate area of the treasure. The circle gets smaller each day, narrowing the search area. Paying participants will also get daily clues such as images, maps or riddles. There's also a trail camera that's placed near the treasure, so players can see it while they search. The Veil has a Discord group for participants to discuss their journey.
The amount grows as more players take part. The pot is worth $3,690 as of Friday morning. Once someone finds the Veil prize, they have 30 days to contact the creators via a QR code on the bottom of the treasure.
"This isn't a hike, it's not a weekend game. This is a hunt," said a video outlining the rules of the game on the Veil's website.
This is the fifth hunt from the brothers. The other challenges were in New Jersey's Somerset County, Evansburg State Park in Montgomery County, Morningside Park in New York City and Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. The nature-lovers created the game to help people get outside and turn everyday life into an adventure.
"We like to hide it sometimes deeper in the forest and make it, you know, a real trek to get there," Paul DuVilla told the Press of Atlantic City. "We like the idea that you could be walking right by it every day on your morning walk, and it could potentially just be sitting right off the edge of the path."
The brothers told the outlet that a total of around 1,700 people have signed up for their five hunts. They plan to launch one in New England region soon and are looking into other markets including St. Louis and Chicago.
