Engagement Ring Flushed Down Toilet Found Over A Year Later In CA

CHINO HILLS, CA — An engagement ring that was accidentally flushed down a toilet was recovered and returned to its owner more than a year later in California.

The ring was first reported missing in March 2022, when a Chino Hills resident called the city's Public Works Department after his soon-to-be stepson accidentally flushed the ring down the toilet.

Resident John Glass removed the toilet from the flange and rented a sewer inspection camera to search for the ring in the drainpipes, but he was unable to retrieve the ring, according to Nicole Freeman, a spokesperson for the city of Chino Hills. Instead, he inadvertently pushed the ring further down the pipe.

In an effort to find the ring, crews used a closed-circuit television inspection truck to search the city's mainline. City sanitation staff attempted to flush the resident's sewer system several times while inspecting the mainline. However, attempts to find the ring were unsuccessful.

More than a year later, crews found the ring May 3 while conducting routine sewer maintenance in Glass's neighborhood, Freeman said.

"Our Public Works staff Christopher Sambrano and Tony Ochoa were performing routine sewer maintenance in the neighborhood and remembered it was the area where the resident previously reported the missing ring," Freeman told Patch.

After confirming the details of the missing ring, it was sterilized and returned to Glass the following day.

"They took extra care while cleaning the sewer pipes in hopes to locate the missing ring and were thrilled to be able to recover and return the lost engagement ring to its original owners after more than a year later and bring them some happiness," Freeman told Patch.