It seems the folks at New York news channel PIX11 decided to add a little sparkle to one of this week’s segments.
Michelle Ross, a reporter for the local CW affiliate, was finishing up a live on-air interview in The Battery on Wednesday when a man appeared behind her in the park and bent down on one knee.
Thankfully, the person Ross was interviewing didn’t give a hint as to what was happening — and as the reporter went to send the broadcast back to the studio, one of her anchors asked, “Who’s that behind you?”
Ross turned around to find her boyfriend, Robert Tilearcio Jr., kneeling in front of a banner that read, “Will You Marry Me?”
“I’ve waited 10 years for this,” he said in the broadcast video. “You are the love of my life, and I definitely want to ask: Will you marry me?”
“I love you — of course!” Ross said, equal parts shocked and emotional.
The camera then panned to show Ross and Tilearcio’s nearest and dearest who showed up for the proposal as they celebrated the happy occasion.
Although the reporter was clearly swept up in the moment, that didn’t stop her co-workers back at the studio from asking, “Michelle, who is that handsome man next to you?” Ross, still stunned, at first seemed to ignore or not hear their repeated requests, which gave a truly awkward — and, let’s admit it, “Office” like — juxtaposition to an otherwise sweet scene.
Despite this, Ross seemed to appreciate the effort that Tilearcio and her PIX11 team put into the surprise proposal.
“You did a good job,” she told her husband-to-be, who works for the New York City Fire Department. “Thank you, guys.”
PIX11 also didn’t seem too upset about Ross initially overlooking their requests to share her fiance’s name on air. The news station posted a video of the proposal on its Instagram page Wednesday.
“Congrats to PIX11′s @michellearezouross ! 💍 She was doing a live interview when her FDNY boyfriend and family members surprised her in Battery Park,” the outlet captioned the clip, using the reporter’s handle on the platform.
“Spoiler alert: She said yes. ❤️”
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