Man drops engagement ring down drain moments after proposing in New York's Times Square

NYPD searching for unknown couple

Police in New York City are searching for a man and woman who lost an engagement ring down a drain during a proposal that took a disastrous turn.

The couple's engagement was caught on camera after the man got down on one knee in Times Square on Friday evening.

According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), the woman said yes.

But her partner became so excited at her response he dropped the engagement ring straight down a drain.

The man frantically lay on the ground and peered into the grate while his partner looked on in concern, but they were unable to retrieve the ring.

Police officers said that it fell around 2.4m down the grate.

The ring was later retrieved and cleaned by the NYPD but the would-be bride and groom left without passing on their names or their contact details.

Pictures of the ring and the couple have been released by the police force, which has turned to the public for help.

"WANTED for dropping his fiancee's ring," the NYPD joked in a post on Twitter, which went on to appeal for information about the couple.

"She said Yes - but he was so excited that he dropped the ring in a grate."

The police force said that it wanted to return the ring "to the happy couple" and asked the public to help find the unlucky pair.

More than 350,000 people visit Times Square in midtown Manhattan, known as "The Crossroads of the World," every day.