Con Ed Crew Helps Woman Get Ring Back After It Falls Down Sidewalk Grate
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Westchester County woman was all smiles Monday evening after her wedding ring was recovered in a New York City sewer.
CBS2's Marc Liverman spoke exclusively to Sarah Sommer, and the Good Samaritans who helped her get her ring back.
Every day in New York, millions of people walk over grates on the sidewalk ad thing nothing of it. Sommer was one of them – until Monday.
"I was really hot and sweaty coming out of Grand Central. I was uncomfortable. I'm eight months pregnant. So I went to take my rings off because they were way too tight," she said.
In the blink of an eye, her wedding band slipped out of her hand and onto the sidewalk before bouncing into the sewer. Like the ring, Sommer's heart dropped – to the pit of her stomach.
"I thought: 'I'm going to wake up -- this is a nightmare. This doesn't happen in real life. I can't believe I lost my wedding ring,'" she said.
So Sommer did everything she could think of. She called 911 and 311, but none of them could help.
That was when she saw a Con Edison truck sitting in traffic right near the sewer at 44th Street and Lexington Avenue.
"Came up to the driver's side door," said Con Ed worker Jason Wertheimer. "I open up the door and said, 'Are you OK?'"
"We went over, we asked them, pleaded with them – 'Is there anything you can do to help?'" Sommer said. "'I lost my wedding ring. I'm eight months pregnant. My husband's going to kill me -- can you help us?'"
So the crew came over, opened up the grate, and drained all the water from the bottom. Afterward, one of them went down -- and sure enough at the bottom, the ring was just sitting there sparkling.
Sommer's smile was sparkling too. The Con Ed crew said it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
But that did not stop them from trying.
"Just started right there, right in front – right where she said it was," said Con Ed worker Kenyatta Charles.
"I just said thank you so much, God bless you," Sommer said.
"She gave us a hug," Wertheimer said.
Sommer offered the crew a tip, but they would not take it.
"It's a good deed for the day," Wertheimer said. "That's how we look at it."
But it is also a good deed that Sommer said she will never forget.
"They don't know me from anybody else on this earth and they took time out on their Monday morning, are going to finish late, go home to their families late -- just so they can get me my ring back?" Sommer said. "It's just amazing."
Sommer said her faith in humanity has been restored too. The Con Ed crew said it is pretty common that they get calls to recover jewelry from sewers – but it is very rare that it is ever found.