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Engagement ring allegedly stolen by LAX security
Here's a true and sad Christmas story:The day after Christmas, my best friend CJ called to tell me she got engaged to her long-time boyfriend Rosendo. "How did he propose?!" I asked. "It's a bittersweet story," she said. Here's how it went:
On Christmas morning, Rosendo was late for his flight from L.A. to Seattle, where he was traveling to celebrate Christmas with CJ. He had been planning on proposing for a while, and had taken the time to have a ring specially designed. As he traveled, he kept the ring in a box in his jacket pocket -- inside two boxes, actually. He was pulled aside at security, where he had put his jacket on the conveyor belt to be scanned. TSA quickly went through his stuff, and afterwards Rosendo sprinted to his gate. He put on his jacket, and felt for the ring box, which was there.
He made his flight, and the next morning -- Proposal Day -- he randomly decided to look at the ring one more time. He opened the ring box -- and it was empty. No ring. Rosendo started hyperventilating and staggered into CJ's parent's living room. Nobody knew what was wrong -- they thought they might need to call an ambulance. All Rosendo said was, "It can't be possible!" When he could say more than those four words, he 'fessed up his plans, and he and CJ went shopping for the cheapest ring they could find.
The only time the ring was out of Rosendo's possession was at airport security. He's filed a police report, to no avail.
How's that for a heartwarming holiday travel story?
It seems there's no shortage of people who hate the TSA. Here are some other reasons to be annoyed with the agency:
- TSA pours out coffee, ignores boxcutter
- TSA steals traveler's pudding, leaves him armed with knife
- TSA thief caught red-handed, arrested
- TSA screeners fail to catch explosives at security checkpoint
- Fight back! Use these luggage tags.
- Go with the flow, and buy goods confiscated by the TSA.
Filed under: Airports
Reader Comments (Page 10 of 10)
Pauline Kasper Jan 11th 2008 2:27PM
My run-ins with TSA occured twice -- almost a year apart!
In October 2006, I took a tour to Rome. While I was there, I bought a small cross as a confirmation present for my youngest niece and had it blessed by the Pope. I mistakenly packed it in my suitcase and when I got home and was unpacking, I found that the cross had been stolen out of my case.
In November-December 2007, I was on pilgrimage to Israel and, this time, took a suitcase I could lock! However, any small purchases went into my carry-on. The airport security in Israel is very strict! You had to open your cases and allow the security people to search through them. My suitcases passed security, so I locked my large suitcase and checked it through to the States. The flight from Israel landed in Newark for customs and then the suitcase was checked to Manchester. To make a long story short, when I arrived home, I discovered that the lock on my suitcase had been broken and I found a nastygram from TSA that my bag had been chosen for inspection -- after passing Israeli security! -- and that they were not responsible for any damages incurred. (And incidentally, my small purchases made it back!)
John Jan 11th 2008 2:35PM
I am totally understanding of this ongoing problem!!! They would have stole his gold caps right off his teeth is he had smiled!!!
Sue Jan 11th 2008 3:29PM
Everybody, it is not the locks that are the issue. I like everyone else took all precautions to prevent lost or stolen lugage..They are stealing items out of lugage but, they are also intentionally loosing whole bags so they can rifle through it later and sell the contents..They either sell it by the bag or they sell individual items out of the bag on the internet. I have been told this by many people in my own ivestigation on what happened to my lost bag. When I went to the strip mall across from the mirage to replace my underwear to get through the next week of my trip, the lady in Victoria Secrets said I WAS THE THIRD LADY IN HER STORE THIS WEEK REPLACING HER UNDERWEAR BECAUSE HER LUGGAGE WAS STOLEN !!!!Wake up America this is going on at every airport in the USA!! My anger is toward the airlines after all they are hiring these people...The airlines cover it all up to resolve themselves from any liability!!!The airlines don't know what to do about it, because I believe the problem is so huge nationwide. We need to some how take control of the situation as a people demand that it stops..Not flying is not the answer...
Kimberly Lin Jan 11th 2008 3:32PM
My mother-in-law also had some jewelry stolen by TSA agents. She was traveling back from China and she had the Mikimoto pearls my brother-in-law gave her for Christmas and some other nice pieces stolen. They do need to do something with these corrupt TSA agents.
pparsons Jan 11th 2008 3:55PM
Traveled in Dec. 07 Florida to Columbus OH, everyone said get TSA aproved locks, so I did. Guess what they cut the zipper off my luggage.
Bobby G Jan 11th 2008 4:23PM
Well, I do have one good experience to share. I had an expensive top-of-the-line Swiss Army knife confiscated from my backpack while checking through. My fault totally. I had intended to leave it at home. It was an anniversary gift from my work and it had a diamone and a ruby embedded in it. The TSA person escorted me directly to a kiosk where you use your credit card to buy a pouch envelope for your item, address it, and and then put it in the drop box. They send it to you parcel post ground. It took a while. But, I got it back.
The best thing is simply don't take a risk letting anything out of your sight you don't want to have lost or stolen. The sad thing is the people who get jobs in positions of trust are usually the lowest on the evolutionary scale. How on earth do they get hired? Those people ALWAYS have some kind of criminal history. Probably the people who hire them are the same kind of scum. I've worked in government before. It's incredible how many ways people can cheat and lie to get in to those jobs and get away with it. I've met people working for the Post Office who can barely read! Scary.
Sam Jan 11th 2008 11:57PM
There is no question or doubt that personal effects are being stolen while Americans travel.
The question is not whether the fiancee had or did not have the diamond ring. The question is how the American people can get a grip on the theft of items from travelers.
I am certain TSA employees watch who puts what on those conveyors and prays the alarm goes off to distract that passenger while they wand the passenger. Most times I do not hear the alarm and I am told I need to be checked with the wand?? I offer to go back through the tunnel first. Observe and you will see for yourself.
Maybe travelers need a citizens group to police the police or as in this case, TSA employees and baggage handlers.
I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of having my personal items stolen while traveling!!!!
Instead of a store to sell lost luggage and auctioning off lost luggage Americans should DEMAND a store or internet site where passengers can identify their belongings and have them returned.
What right, certainly not constitutional, does an airline, TSA or any other group have to take my personal belongings and sell them or auction them off when I have committed no crime???
This is not rocket science. TSA employees and baggage handlers have been proven to be thieves over and over. The passengers must rally and stop them!!!! Do not stop flying but maybe start sending your luggage through one of the services that transport luggage to your destination. I know it cost more but if the baggage handlers have nothing to steal that job will not exist. Americans can do this together!!!!!!
Let us work to put that store in Alabama that sells lost luggage items OUT OF BUSINESS!!!!!!
No baggage handlers. No lost luggage. Then we will need to figure out how to stop TSA employees from stealing. The poster is correct that most of the TSA airport employees are the drudges of society--former welfare recipients, former long time unemployed employees, former fast food workers, etc. Not all just some. How do we STOP THEM from stealing OUR belongings?????
Kelly Jan 11th 2008 5:19PM
I had my leather coat and a bottle of expensive perfume stolen somewhere between Albuquerque New Mexico and LAX. I phoned every agency I could find and the response I got from the airlines was that it was my word against theirs. I will never fly Southwest again. It still upsets me.
chris Jan 11th 2008 7:03PM
It's unfortunate that there are dishonest screeners out there. However, remember they are HUMAN, and there are dishonest employees at ANY job. As a TSA officer, I would love to have you in our shoes for a week. Don't condemn the majority because of a very small minority! When passengers put rings, cash etc. in the bin, I always tell them to take it with them thru the walk-thru. And yes, probably 95 % of the time the passengers actually find the items on them after complaining for an hour that we took it.
Anna Jan 12th 2008 5:16AM
For all you who believe these tsa agents do not steal, you are so naive. And for ones who said the tsa agents have to put up with rude customers and keep smiling. I have NEVER seen a smiling tsa agent. They are rude, arrogant and bossy. They think being in that uniform makes them smart it does not. I work for an insurance co that handles their personal medical claims and they are dumber than a box of rocks. They neither know how to read a claim or policy or submit one. It is very easy when going through these airport checks to get distracted from your items especially when in my situation having a child who has to wear a medical device that always gets pulled aside. Do I watch her or my bags??? As far as no 9/11 occurrences, these uneducated tsa people have NOTHING to do with that.