The moment an engagement ring fell off a woman’s finger and disappeared down a metal grate near Times Square has been captured on CCTV, showing what appears to be every couple’s worst nightmare.
The heart-stopping clip, shared by the New York Police Department, showed a panic-stricken man lay on the floor while his partner crouched down beside him, both of them desperately trying (and failing) to locate the ring.
NYPD retrieved CCTV footage of the ordeal and joked that the couple was “wanted” for dropping it. “Our @NYPDSpecialops officers rescued it and would like to return it to the happy couple. Help us find them?” the department tweeted.
After the clip went viral, the couple were tracked down. Brits John Drennan and Daniella Anthony, from Peterborough, admitted to being the stars of the show. And Drennan wants to make one thing clear: “I want to clarify that I did not propose over a grate in Times Square – that’s where we lost it,” he told the BBC.
Detectives Bucchignano and Glacken were the officers who retrieved the ring from the grate and cleaned it up, one day after it was lost. NYPD tweeted multiple times to try and track down the couple before they were located – by which time, Drennan and Anthony were back home in the UK.
“The (now) happy couple is back in their home country, but thanks to your retweets they heard we were looking for them!” NYPD wrote on Sunday.
“We’re making arrangements to get them their ring back. Congratulations!”
The police department shared a snap of the couple toasting the good news, with Anthony wearing what we assume to be a replacement ring until hers is returned.
The couple had flown to New York to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. Two hours before losing the ring, Drennan had popped the question in Central Park: “The time was right,” he said. “There were autumn leaves everywhere and not many people.”
Anthony said “yes” but the ring wasn’t the right size. Despite this, Drennan insisted she wore it – he was just so happy she’d agreed to marry him.
On their way back to the hotel they decided to stop off for food and see the Christmas lights in Times Square – and that was the dreaded moment the ring slipped off.
It’s something they will both probably remember forever: “I can still visualise the ring,” added Drennan. “Bouncing once… bouncing twice and then it was gone.”
Do you have a story of a proposal mishap to share? Please email natasha.hinde@huffpost.com.