Happy ending: Military veteran's flag, photo found on Livermore highway returned to family
LIVERMORE, Calif. - The California Highway Patrol was able to return a special item that officers discovered on a Livermore highway to its rightful owners thanks to social media posts from local news outlets.
On Thursday evening CHP-Dublin put out a call on social media for help in finding the family of a veteran whose memorial flag and case were found on eastbound Interstate 580 west of the Isabel Avenue exit in Livermore on Oct. 20.
Officers said it appeared the case belonged to the family of a veteran, as there was a photo of a man in military uniform. Officers realized the man had served in the U.S. Army infantry, based on the cord on his right shoulder.
That's when they turned to social media to make sure it got back into the right hands. And that is exactly what happened.
On Friday the agency tweeted that the veteran's children had come forward to claim the sentimental items, thanks in large part to the power of social media.
"After seeing media posts and broadcast on TV, this family has been reunited with their father’s veteran memorial flag and case," CHP Dublin tweeted. "We can’t thank the television media outlets and those who spread the story on social media enough. THANK YOU!"
The former serviceman was later identified by the family as Abbey Rivera. His grandson, Layne Gonsalvez, explained to KTVU how the display case ended up on the freeway.
He said he had swerved in his pickup truck on I-580 after a spider dropped from the rear-view mirror, which knocked the display case with the flag and photo of his grandfather, onto the highway.
"I just pushed it to the side, but the next thing I know I'm edging towards the car to my right," said Gonsalvez. He swerved and ended up on two-wheels. That caused a box in his truck to end up on the road. "We didn't know what we lost," he said.
What he lost was his grandfather's military flag and display case with his photo inside. Rivera was also a Golden Gloves boxer, who died in 2006 at the age of 71.
The family was grateful to be reunited with the irreplaceable item, just in time for Veteran's Day.
Featured
Family tragedy: Father ID's son who died in Oakland I-580 freeway shooting
Monnie Price Jr. died in the shooting on westbound I-580 near the Highway 13 split during the start of the evening rush-hour commute. His brother died in 2012.