A New York assistant train conductor has been dubbed a “gem” and honoured with a commendation ceremony after he handed in a treasure trove of 36 engagement rings, inadvertently left on a train.
New York jeweller Ed Eleasian does a daily commute on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) from his Long Island home to his midtown Manhattan store, and one day he accidently left a case of engagement rings, valued at US$107,000 behind. Luckily for Eleasian, assistant conductor Jonathan Yellowday was not tempted by the stash when he discovered the case in a plastic bag just before he was due to go off-duty.
“I got the next train going back to Penn, handed it in, and the rest is history,” Yellowday said according to a statement released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). When Eleasian and his wife returned to Penn Station the next day to retrieve the rings, they joined LIRR president Phil Eng to present a commendation to Yellowday.
“Not only did you find and return these 36 rings, but just think about the happiness of 36 couples down the road,” Eng told Yellowday. “Thank you for your heroic actions and saving the day for 36 couples.”