NYC mom reunited with ring engraved with children names after losing it in subway grate

This subway story had a grate ending.

A Bronx woman who dropped her beloved and sentimental ring into a sidewalk subway grate was reunited with the precious piece of jewelry thanks to the kindness of MTA employees.

“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,” Mayra Lora said in an MTA press release.

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“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.” 

Lora, 70, had worn the 18 carat gold ring, engraved with the names of her three children, for two and half decades, until it fell into the 6 train’s grate at Lexington Avenue near 103rd Street in East Harlem after she removed her glove.

Although it landed on an elevated shelf between spaces in the grate, Lora and her boyfriend couldn’t retrieve it, so they alerted the MTA.

An hour later, New York City Transit maintenance employees were there to help, first sectioning off the area where the ring fell, according to a video the MTA posted on YouTube.

The trio of workers then removed the grate, and MTA employee Latasha Goodall ceremoniously picked up the ring, smiling and proudly showing it to the crowd that formed and were taking pictures.

The employee then placed the ring on Lora’s finger, saying, “Give me a hug,” while the pair embraced and Lora, visibly emotional, said, “Thank you.”

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“I’m so happy we were able to reunite [Mayra] with her most precious jewel,” Goodall said in the release.

“I feel so lucky to experience these moments when these incidents occur, and [Mayra’s] graciousness and appreciation made reuniting her with that ring so special.”

“This is another example of our employees going above and beyond for New Yorkers,” added NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. 

“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.”