When a man from Tennessee was getting ready to propose to his girlfriend on the beach, the unthinkable happened: He dropped the engagement ring in the sand. According to an update that the Myrtle Beach Police Department posted on Facebook, the Tennessee resident was taking pictures with his girlfriend along the beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on July 8, 2023, before popping the question. Once he arrived at the final location, where he was planning on asking for his significant other’s hand in marriage, he “realized the ring had fallen out of his pocket,” the post said.
The man immediately alerted Myrtle Beach Police Department Patrol Officer Josh Lively, notifying him that he had lost the engagement ring. Lively and his fellow officers, Sean Owens and Zachary Stashick, searched the sandy terrain where the couple had taken photos, per the Facebook post. Police officer Shon McCluskey and K-9 Goggles later joined the search party “to use the incident as a training exercise” for the dog.
While they were scouring the sand, a local community member, whom WYFF-TV identified as 15-year-old Isaiah Krekeler from Ohio, was with his friends on the beach when someone approached the group, telling them that someone had lost an engagement ring. According to the police, Krekeler “jumped into action with metal detector in hand.” The Ohio native said it was his first time using a metal detector, and it took him about 45 seconds to locate the missing piece of jewelry. After returning the gem to its rightful owner, Krekeler said the woman hugged him. “I feel like I saved a marriage,” the teenager joked.
According to the police officers, the man from Tennessee continued his proposal once the boy retrieved the engagement ring. Although the police never identified the couple, the crew shared on social media that the woman said “yes.” “The Myrtle Beach community pulls together anytime, anywhere, for anyone!” the status says. “We wish the engaged couple a happy future!”
A similar incident happened earlier this year on February 11, 2023. Zay surprised his girlfriend Sai with a romantic proposal—complete with a candlelit red carpet walkway and a sea of twinkle lights—on Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia. But after Sai said “yes,” she accidentally dropped the ring. “The ring was loose, and it flew off my finger after wearing it for about five minutes,” she admitted to Sky News Australia. The couple and more than two dozen witnesses dug through the sand to locate the precious gemstone. After 20 minutes of thorough searching, one of the bystanders found the ring.
The incident didn’t detract from the excitement for Sai, however. In an Instagram post, she explained that the proposal exceeded her expectations. “I said YES!!” she claimed. “Completely taken by surprise and completely in love. I could never have imagined a proposal as perfect and magical as the one you gave me. You have a way of making everything so special and unforgettable. Thank you for making me the happiest person in the world. I am so grateful to have you as my partner, my best friend, and now, my fiancé .”