S.I. Woman's Ring Found 35 Years Later - In Puerto Rico!
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- Getting a high school class ring is a rite of passage, but a New York woman lost hers more than three decades ago in the ocean. On Sunday night, she has it back – thanks to Facebook.
A special delivery came, priority mail, with a note attached: "Gina, enjoy your ring and it's story."
Gina DeMatteo Murgolo, of Staten Island, got the surprise of her life. Her 1973 class ring from Bishop Kearney High School in Bensonhurst, lost at sea for 35 years, was returned – out of the blue – after a stranger found her on Facebook.
"She wrote in the Facebook that high school is a special time, and felt strongly about returning it to its rightful owner," Gina said.
Gina lost her class ring swimming in the ocean not on Staten Island, but in the waters off Fire Island. She never thought she'd see the ring again.
"I forgot about it, to be honest with you," she said. "I totally forgot about it."
It turns out that a woman on vacation from upstate New York found Gina's ring – in Puerto Rico. Somehow, the ring had traveled that far.
Lucky for Gina, the ring was still in pristine condition, with her name engraved inside. After a search and a few exchanges on Facebook, the ring was sent back to Gina.
"And then when I got it, and I saw that little note, I felt, ' ohmy goodness, there are nice people left in the world,'" Gina said.
The Atlantic Ocean took Gina's ring on a storied adventure, only to come back full circle.
The woman who found the ring is named Angelita, or "little angel." Gina said Angelita is an angel for finding and returning her long-lost ring.
