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Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit employees today came to the aid of a devastated woman who had accidentally dropped an irreplaceable heirloom ring in a sidewalk grate above the train.
Myra Lora and her boyfriend were walking along Lexington Avenue at 103rd Street Thursday evening February 20, 2025 when Lora went to take off a glove. That’s when the ring came off, miraculously landing on an elevated shelf between spaces in the grate – but still out of reach. The couple tried to retrieve the ring themselves but were not able to.
On Friday morning, the couple reached out to the MTA for help, and shortly thereafter, NYC Transit Maintenance of Way employees arrived on scene, lifting the grate, with Light Maintainer Latasha Goodall retrieving the ring and placing it on the finger of a grateful Lora.
The 70-year-old Bronx resident has had the 18kt gold ring for 25 years, and it is engraved with the names of her three children.
“This is another example of our employees going above and beyond for New Yorkers,” said 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.”
"I'm so happy we were able to reunite Myra with her most precious jewel," said NYC Transit Light Maintainer Latasha Goodall. “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."
“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 Myra 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.”