Long-lost high school ring washed ashore by Sandy

A high school ring, lost by a teenager at the Jersey Shore a decade ago, is back with its owner, thanks to Superstorm Sandy.

David Williams of Keyport, N.J., was working on a foundation in Sea Bright, near the town of Monmouth Beach, when a gleam from an object caught his eye, he told the Asbury Park Press.

It was Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High class ring inscribed with the name Bryan James Bishop Heller inside.

A little more digging -- on the Internet -- led to a LinkedIn page for the rightful owner.

On the phone, Bryan Heller told Williams, "I'm pretty sure you don't have my ring. There's no way. My ring is somewhere at the bottom of the ocean."

But word of the inscription and a messaged photo were persuasive.

Heller lost the ring while swimming off Sea Bright in June 2003, a few weeks after he got it, according to the original article, which notes that Sandy "moved an estimated 500,000 cubic yards of sand in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach."

The recovery happened in August, but the news, like the ring, took a while to surface.

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.