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They went on a sisters trip to Fire Island.
But a dream day at the beach soon turned into a nightmare for Hyunjoo Han of Mahwah, N.J., when she realized she lost her wedding and engagement rings, which Han said “carried so many sentiments, my marriage life, my memories of youth and children.”
But leave it to an honest and kind-hearted Patchogue man to save the day.
“Then came Monday morning and I got a call from Davis Park,” Han said. “I was told someone found my rings and that person was Nick DeNicola. I got his number through the ticketing office and called him.
“We met the following day in Patchogue and I met my angel.”
How it all happened
Han and her sisters headed to Patchogue Marina on Sunday, July 21, for an 11:45 a.m. ferry to Davis Park. Upon arrival to the parking lot, she wanted to first put on some sunscreen. So she took off her rings and placed them in her lap.
She was wearing a white sundress at the time.
“My sister, who was driving the car, wanted to run to the bathroom in a rush, so she asked me to park the car,” she said. “Then I got out of the car not realizing the rings were dropped [in the lot] and went on with my day.”
It wasn’t until they got back on the mainland from Fire Island that Han realized all her rings were gone.
“After we came back from Fire Island, enjoying the beach … we were driving to have an early dinner,” she said. “Then in the car I realized my rings were missing. I went crazy! My sisters and I looked everywhere but couldn’t find them.”
Thankfully, she left her number at the ticket office before heading home.
That, and she thanks God for Nick DeNicola.
“I spotted the rings while riding my bike. Yes, while riding my bike with my dog,” he said. “When I spotted the rings at 6:20 a.m. Monday morning, the engagement diamond glinted as the morning sun was rising, but the ferry terminal was closed. I returned back at noontime.”
At that time there were two young ladies working at the terminal. He asked if they had a lost and found, because he had just recovered “two rings of great value.”
“The girl told me that a lady stopped by yesterday with tears in her eyes explaining how she had lost both her rings and then she proceeded to give them her phone number on a Post-It note,” DeNicola said.
The problem was, now the note was missing.
“I told her not to worry, because I was determined to reunite these rings to the finger that they belonged to,” he said. “Like a modern day Cinderella. I was a man on a mission, because all I could think about was how this poor woman was feeling, probably so distraught and crying, which I later found out was unfortunately true.
“After several hours passed, I received a call from a jubilant young girl from the ferry terminal telling me that they had found the note with her phone number! She told me that had to literally dive into the dumpster to retrieve it.”
Then he and Han got in touch.
“It is a miracle that my rings survived almost a day on the parking lot ground and didn’t get damaged,” she said, “found by a man who only wanted to reunite the rings to the owner.”
“I eternally owe Nick, who is such an honest and warmhearted person,” she continued. “He waited for the office to open and got my number and made sure he hand-delivered the rings to me. The more I think about the accident, the more I realize this has to be a miracle that I have the rings back on my finger. Nicholas DeNicola is a real angel who made a miracle for me.”
And she had one more thing to say about the good Samaritan.
“He is the resident of the year!”
Note: This story has been updated after Greater Long Island was able to get in touch with Nick DeNicola.
The wedding and engagement rings sat in the ferry terminal parking lot for nearly 24 hours. (courtesy photos)
Hyunjoo Han of New Jersey (left) is all smiles after good Samaritan Nick DeNicola returned her lost wedding ring last month in Patchogue. (courtesy photo)
