Ruth Watson of Vineland says her 10-year-old son thought he was helping last Friday when he placed a plastic bag on the curb with rest of the trash from their home.
But what he didn’t know was that his mother’s wedding ring was inside.
“It was just a shopping bag from Dollar General and I had set it aside while we were cleaning. But my wallet and ring were inside that bag,” Watson, 41, said Tuesday.
By the time Watson ran outside, the garbage men had come and gone. Also gone was Watson’s wedding ring.
“I can’t tell you how I felt,” said Watson, who has been married for 15 years. “I had so much to do that day and I couldn’t do a thing. I just kept thinking I’ve got to get that ring back.”
Watson called the Atlantic County Utilities Authority and told a worker what had happened, what the bag looked like and what was inside.
“She sent me a picture of what the wallet looked like and said the ring was inside the wallet,” Jovani Quiles, a landfill supervisor, told NJ Advance Media.
Quiles said the contents of the truck that had picked up garbage on Watson’s street were dumped at the Vineland landfill. Quiles, along with three workers – Ramon Nazario, Alfredo Perez and Paul Deola – then proceeded to dig through the garbage.
“After about an hour-and-a-half we found it,” Quiles said. “Wallet, phone charger, some stuff she needed for the gym and her ring.”
In a Facebook post, ACUA gave a shout-out to the workers who found the ring. “Thank you Alfredo, Jovani, Paul and Ramon for going above and beyond for a member of the community,” the post said.
Quiles said he was happy he was able to help the woman find her ring. “If it was my wife who lost her wedding ring, I’d want someone to help her,” he said.
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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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