Couple 'wanted' by police after dropping ring into grate during proposal in New York's Times Square

In what must have been a heart-stopping moment, the diamond ring fell right in between the gaps of a metal grate covering a drain in the pavement. PHOTOS: TWITTER/NYPD NEWS

Proposing in New York's Times Square may seem like a romantic idea, but pick your spot carefully!

A man was doing just that at the United States city's popular tourist landmark and dropped the ring he used to propose to his fiancee.

In what must have been a heart-stopping moment, it fell right in between the gaps of a metal grate covering a drain in the pavement.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said that they had rescued the ring and were looking for the happy couple in a tweet at about 5pm local time on Saturday (Singapore time 6am, Sunday, Dec 2).

"WANTED for dropping his fiancée's ring in @TimesSquareNYC! She said Yes - but he was so excited that he dropped the ring in a grate," the tweet said.

A video accompanying the tweet appears to show the couple having just proposed outside the exit to a subway system.

The man then lies down on the road to peer in between the gaps of the grate.

The video has since gone viral, with over 1.44 million views in 15 hours. The tweet has garnered over 13,000 likes and 8,800 retweets in the same time.

A separate tweet by the NYPD shows a close up of the ring, which has what appears to be a diamond set in its centre with smaller jewels on its band.

Comments by netizens have been largely positive, with many saying this is what they love about New York, and others praising the city's police force.

In its later tweet, the NYPD said they had cleaned the ring and asked members of the public to call 1-800-577-TIPS or message it on Twitter should they know the couple.

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