NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A TSA worker at John F. Kennedy International Airport found the missing diamond from a new bride's engagement ring, the agency said in a news release this week.
The Durrani's were flying out of John F. Kennedy International Airport to their honeymoon in Guam and after passing through one of JFK’s TSA checkpoints, realized that her newly purchased diamond was missing from her engagement ring.
“My wife was crying hysterically as we did not know what happened, nor did we know how to approach the situation,” Amir Khan Durrani wrote in an email to TSA.
Amir raced back to the checkpoint to alert the TSA officers about the missing diamond.
“Everyone was extremely kind and helped me as much as they could to locate the lost diamond,” he said. “I told them that I knew this was not their job” to help find a lost diamond, although “everyone present helped look for the diamond to no avail,” he recalled.
Hours later, the Durranis' landed to a text message and voicemail informing them that TSA believed that the diamond had been located.
The Queens couple then sent TSA a photo of the diamond which matched the diamond found at the checkpoint.
Lead TSA Officer John Killian returned from a break about five hours after the diamond was reported missing.
As he was standing at the TSA supervisory podium, Killian "spotted the sparkle" and thought "No way that could really be it."
He walked over and picked the stone which was on the floor between the metal detector and the X-ray machine, according to the agency.
“The shine caught my eye," Killian said. "I was like, ‘wow, I just found this diamond!’”
Mr. Durrani wrote in an email thanking the JFK TSA team for their efforts in locating and returning the diamond. “I would like to commend everyone and their efforts for finding our diamond and safekeeping it before our return back to New York. I want to mention deep down in my heart, that this moment put us in relief. I hope everyone understands how much this meant to my wife and me.”
His note continued, “Thank you so much to all the staff present and especially to officer John Killian. I might not ever meet you, but you had an impact on us at that moment and I will never forget it.”
When the Durranis returned from their trip, they connected with TSA Manager Mishane Henry who asked them to show the ring to make sure that it was being handed over to the right couple. “It was a match,” she said.
“This is a fine example of the integrity of our workforce here at JKF Airport,” said John Bambury, TSA’s Federal Security Director at the airport. “I know that it is always rewarding when our team is able to reunite a passenger with something that they’ve left behind or lost at the checkpoint. We frequently return a jacket, a Teddy bear or a set of keys that have been left at one of our checkpoints. But returning a lost diamond will certainly be one we will always remember.”
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