Man loses $12,000 cash for engagement ring while riding motorcycle

A New Jersey fisherman was riding with the wind earlier this month, $12,000 in cash in his backpack and love in his heart as he prepared to propose to his longtime girlfriend.

However, Reuters reported Matthew Camp's spirits sank when he pulled off the Garden State Parkway on Sept. 9 and found all of his cash had fluttered away.

Camp, a 32-year-old commercial fisherman who did well during a recent scallop run on a Cape May, NJ boat, had cashed a cheque for $12,000, shoved the money into a backpack without realizing it had a broken zipper and drove off, according to the Cape May County Herald.

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He said was planning to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend, Tabitha Bohn, with whom he is raising four children. Bohn told Reuters the incident was "heartbreaking."

However, a few good Samaritans have have improved a bad situation, Reuters reported. As Camp retraced his drive, a highway cleanup crew returned $4,000 they had found and another two other men, who had picked up $5,300, later agreed to return the sum.

The captain of his boat delayed the departure for their next trip to leave time for Camp to look for more of the money. A family member, Teddy Bohn, told the Cape May County Herald that anyone who returns Camp's lost cash or provides information will receive a reward.