Georgia man planned surprise proposal for his girlfriend. Then someone broke into his car and stole the ring.
Ethan Frazier saw the car window smashed, and the ring was gone.
When Ethan Frazier planned a surprise engagement proposal for his girlfriend, he didn’t expect he would be the one who was in for the shock of a lifetime.
Frazier, 29, and his girlfriend, Chanler Phelps, were walking back to their car after dinner last week in Atlanta and, unbeknownst to Phelps, about to make their way to her parents’ house where Frazier would propose in front of both of their families.
But their night took a turn for the unexpected when they realized the car had been broken into and numerous valuables — including the 2-carat diamond ring — had been stolen.
“I had a lot of other things I had to orchestrate as far as getting it all set up at her parents’ house,” Frazier told ABC News on Tuesday. “Once I knew all that [was set], I was finally relieved that it was going as I planned it.”
Then the car was broken into, Frazier noted.
“That obviously threw a wrench in it,” he said.
Phelps said she remembered approaching the car, seeing the window was smashed in and Frazier breaking down in tears.
“I’m so confused why he’s crying," she told ABC News. "I’m trying to react, trying to find video camera surveillance and he’s sitting on the curb hysterical.”
It was only after he calmed down that he confessed to her about his proposal plans.
“I felt honestly worse for him because he had it all planned out,” Phelps said. “I could have just dropped to the ground. My heart sunk.”
Frazier said while he was upset about the ring, he was more disappointed that Phelps learned of the big news under those circumstances.
However, he is grateful for the insurance policy he signed the ring just two hours before it was stolen.
The couple filed a police report. Atlanta police said an investigation remains open, but no arrests have been made.
Frazier and Phelps did eventually head to her parents’ house, and Frazier got down on one knee -- using one of her mom’s old rings for the photos.
“I was still surprised ‘cause I didn’t know he had it set up the way he did,” she said, noting that the back patio was filled with candles and rose petals.
And while the night did not go as planned, Phelps is still giddy over the occasion — and making do with what she has.
“Being engaged to my best friend is the most important thing,” she said. “I know we will eventually get another ring… and I’m just gonna be wearing a fake until we can pick out a new one.”
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