Watch: Ring flushed down NJ train toilet returned to owner
A New Jersey woman who accidentally flushed her wedding ring down an NJ Transit train toilet has been reunited with it. Watch ring flushed down the toilet was found after crews took the train out of service, jacked it up, and opened the tank; staff returned the heirloom Monday.
Key Takeaways
- Julie Angelicola realized her wedding ring was missing right after leaving an NJ Transit train bathroom.
- She had wiped soap from her hands with toilet paper, tossed the paper, and flushed before returning to her seat.
- NJ Transit pulled the train from service, lifted it on jacks, and found the ring atop the toilet tank.
- The antique band, believed to date to 1905, was handed back Monday at a customer service center.
How did the wedding ring end up in the toilet?
Julie Angelicola said she had just left the bathroom aboard an NJ Transit train when she noticed her wedding ring was gone. Speaking to WPVI-TV, she described carefully drying soap from her hands with toilet paper, working finger by finger, then crumpling the paper and flushing in a hurry before heading back to her seat.
Only afterward did she grasp that the ring had gone with the flush. For more strange recoveries and odd headlines, browse our Bizarre News & Florida Man coverage.
How did NJ Transit get the ring back?
Angelicola reported the loss to NJ Transit. The agency took the train out of service so crews could search. Employees put the train up on jacks, removed the toilet tank, and opened it. Inside, they discovered her ring sitting on top.
The ring was returned to Angelicola on Monday at an NJ Transit Customer Service Center. UPI reported the reunion after the agency completed that hands-on recovery.
Why does this ring matter so much?
Angelicola said the ring holds immense sentimental value. The piece is believed to date back to 1905 and was purchased from an antique store. She later discovered that initials engraved inside the ring matched the nicknames she and her husband have for each other.
That personal detail, paired with the ring’s antique origin, helps explain why the loss sparked such an urgent search. A bathroom mishap on an NJ Transit train turned into a service interruption, a tank inspection, and—eventually—a Monday handoff that put the band back with its owner.
What did the recovery involve?
After Angelicola reported the flush, NJ Transit took the train out of service. Crews put the train up on jacks, removed the toilet tank, and opened it. The wedding ring was discovered on top, and workers were able to retrieve it.
Monday’s return at the Customer Service Center closed the story. The outcome—an antique wedding ring flushed on a New Jersey train and returned by transit employees—is a rare lost-and-found win for a rider who thought the band was gone.