A UK couple, named John and Daniella, was on holiday in New York City when it happened. John proposed to Daniella on Friday in the middle of iconic Times Square. When she said yes, he got so excited he dropped the engagement ring through a grate and into a drain. The couple could be seen trying to retrieve the ring with no success.
As reported by the BBC, the moment was captured on CCTV footage and the New York Police Department (NYPD) went to work to rescue the ring and clean it.
They then hit social media in an effort to find the couple. They got lucky and found out it was a couple from the UK, who had since travelled home.
Man loses fiancée’s ring down a grate
CCTV footage showed the couple in Times Square and while it doesn’t show the moment John popped the question, it does show the suitor getting down on one knee – to try and retrieve the engagement ring he had dropped through the grate.
His fiancée, later named as Daniella, can be seen putting her hands to her face as she realises what has happened. She then also gets down on her knees as they both try to retrieve the lost engagement ring through the grate.
However, they are unsuccessful in their efforts.
NYPD officers rescue the ring
NYPD officers clearly have a romantic side to their natures and they headed to Times Square. As they had access to open the grate, they were more successful and safely retrieved the ring, taking it for cleaning.
As reported by CBS New York, the NYPD released footage of the pair on Twitter, asking the public to help them in their search for the couple. Their humorous tweet said the man was wanted for dropping his fiancée’s ring in the grate in Times Square. The tweet said she had said “Yes” to the proposal, but the man was so excited he dropped the ring. They went on to say their “special ops” officers had rescued the ring and wanted to return it to the happy couple, calling on the public to help.
They sent out a further tweet on Sunday with an image of the now clean ring, saying there was a photo of the ring their officers had rescued and cleaned and calling on the public to help find the happy couple, so the ring could be returned to them. One witty person responded by saying they hoped the couple would be “grate-ful.”
A further tweet included more images of the couple.
The NYPD eventually found the couple in question, who had since returned home to the UK but sent a further tweet thanking everyone who had shared the story. It was thanks to retweets that they tracked down the happily engaged couple and are now making arrangements to get the ring back where it belongs – on the fiancée’s finger.
Their final tweet before the case was closed showed – and named – the happy couple while thanking Twitter for the help.