Retired FDNY Firefighter Tracks Down Lost Wedding Rings At Jones Beach
WANTAGH, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A retired New York City firefighter seems to have the golden touch when it comes to finding missing wedding rings.
As TV 10/55 Long Island Bureau Chief Richard Rose reported, Mike Cogan, 67, uses his trusty metal detector to find buried treasure along Long Island beaches. He took up the hobby five years ago.
Most of the time, there is not a lot of treasure to be found. But several weeks ago, he truly found gold.
"It's a man's right," said Cogan, of East Northport. "It's engraved on the inside with the lady's name – his wife's name, I take it."
Cogan actually found the 14-karat ring lying in the surf at Robert Moses Beach, and then posted close-up shots on social media.
"I put it on Craigslist. I put it on my Facebook page. On Facebook, I asked my friends to share it with their friends, and maybe somebody will say, 'Huh, I know the guy,'" Cogan said.
Incredibly, this was not the first or even second time that Cogan has found wedding rings in his search for treasure.
Last year, he came upon a $15,000 platinum wedding band and ring. He managed to return it by posting it on Facebook, and that was not all.
"A couple of weeks ago at Jones Beach, this guy in the water said, 'I just lost my wedding ring, can you help me?'" Cogan said.
After a 20-minute search, Cogan found the ring and posed with the relieved owner and his family. Other beachgoers were impressed by Cogan's determined efforts.
"I think that's really nice," said Katie Svarzman of Sayville. "Most people I know would save it and keep it for themselves."
Cogan said reuniting owners with their rings is his biggest payoff.
"You see people, certainly, when they're searching, they have that empty look on their faces," Cogan said, "and when they're all smiles, it feels really good."
Cogan said besides a woman's name, the ring he most recently has an engraved date that he is withholding so he can identify the true owner.
