Pittsburgh Airport Employees Go Above And Beyond To Recover Woman's Lost Engagement Diamond

July 1, 2025

For most, Friday the 13th carries a reputation of misfortune — but for April Schmitt of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, it’s a date marked by love, luck, and now, an unforgettable reunion with something very precious.

Airport workers who helped find the diamond pose for a photo with April

After returning home from a business trip to Los Angeles on Friday, June 13, April was collecting her luggage at Pittsburgh International Airport when something unexpected happened. As she pulled her bag from the carousel, her hand caught on the edge. She felt a sharp pinch, but didn’t think much of it—until later, sitting in a nearby Starbucks drive-thru.

“I looked and there were just the four prongs and no diamond,” she recalled. The diamond in her engagement ring — which she had worn faithfully for more than 30 years — had vanished.

Determined not to give up, April drove straight back to the airport. With only her phone’s flashlight in hand, she got down on the floor and started searching between the metal plates of the baggage carousel.

Her persistence caught the attention of airport staff, and soon a small team of employees joined the search.

Credit: April Schmitt via TribLive.com

Tom Riordan and Steve Turkaly, both 20-year veterans of the airport, were among the first to help.

“I could tell by her face she was stressed. And she was persistent that she was going to find her diamond,” said Riordan, who works as a stationary engineer maintaining the carousels. Electrician Steve Turkaly added, “My first thought was, let’s help this lady. We are going to help her find her diamond.”

With up to 1,000 bags passing through Carousel B each day, finding the missing gem seemed nearly impossible. But no one gave up.

Later that day, another engineer, Sean Dempsey, crawled inside the baggage system with a flashlight — and that’s when it happened. A glint of sparkle caught his eye.

Against all odds, the diamond was found.

“It was like finding a needle in a haystack,” Riordan said.

April was overwhelmed with gratitude.

“When we couldn’t originally find the diamond, I felt deflated. I didn’t cry because I think I was in shock,” she said. But deep down, she still believed they would find it. After all, it was Friday the 13th — a date that had brought her good fortune before.

April’s husband, Eric, proposed to her on Friday, March 13, 1992. They later married on another Friday the 13th, in November of that same year. As it turns out, his parents were also married on a Friday the 13th — a coincidence that had long made the date special to them.

“Maybe people will look at Friday the 13th differently now,” April said. “Friday the 13th has always been a good day for us. And it was again.”