New York City Transit workers recently came to the aid of a distraught woman who had accidentally dropped an irreplaceable 18-karat gold ring into a subway grate above the "6" line in East Harlem.
Bronx resident Myra Lora and her boyfriend were walking along Lexington Avenue at 103rd Street when Lora went to take off a glove. As the glove slipped off, so did her gold ring — a ring engraved with the names of her three children.
She had worn the sentimental keepsake for 25 years.
The ring fell through the grate, but not down to the subway level. Miraculously, it landed on a support structure just inches below the sidewalk.
The couple could see the ring through the grate, but it was out of reach.
The next morning, the couple sought the help of the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority), and in less than an hour a team of NYC Transit Maintenance of Way employees arrived on scene.
The trio cordoned off the area and lifted the grate with curious onlookers taking pictures and videos of the rescue mission. Then, MTA employee Latasha Goodall ceremoniously plucked the ring from its precarious perch and placed it on the finger of a grateful Lora.
The 70-year-old resident cried tears of joy and gave Goodall a big hug.
“This is such an overwhelming moment for me because this ring has been on my finger for 25 years and has extraordinary emotional value to me,” said Lora. “No words can describe my happiness at being reunited with this ring, and I am so grateful to the New York City Transit workers who returned it to me.”
Goodall was equally overjoyed.
"I'm so happy we were able to reunite Myra with her most precious jewel," Goodall said in a press release. “I feel so lucky to experience these moments when these incidents occur, and Myra’s graciousness and appreciation made reuniting her with that ring so special."
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow praised his crew for going above and beyond for their fellow New Yorkers.
“We all see platform controllers, conductors and bus operators, but there are a lot of people behind the scenes who we don't always see who keep the city moving and care about New Yorkers.”
Credits: Images courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA.