An ABC 33/40 reporter was rushing to an alleged crime scene only to turn around and notice her boyfriend had dropped to one knee.
Investigative reporter Valerie Bell arrived at a small lake in Birmingham, Alabama that was allegedly a domestic violence crime scene.
He greeted the local authorities before giving them his details and asking if he could take notes on the crime.
How did it all go… 💍 Here I was, thinking I was on breaking news @abc3340, but little did he know, it was all part of a massive collaborative plan to pull off a surprise. I can’t wait to spend eternity with you. I am the luckiest girl. #BecomingBjornson pic.twitter.com/Md0P5yShxx
— Valerie Bell (@ValerieBellTV) July 1, 2023
But before he could take pictures or ask any more questions, a local police officer told him, “Before you take notes, I think you’ll like to see something behind you.”
Waiting patiently behind Bell was his partner with a big smile on his face and a ring box in his hand.
“Here I was, thinking I was going to get breaking news, but little did I know,” Bell said, posting a video of the proposal on Twitter.
Bell’s tweet, which was posted last Saturday, already has more than 141,000 views.
“It was all part of a massive collaborative plan to pull off a very big surprise,” he wrote.
Bell confirmed in follow-up tweets that the local authorities involved in the proposal were all voluntary and off-duty.
Photo credit: Twitter/ Valerie Bell
“This was the first tweet I saw this morning,” commented one user, “What a beautiful way to wake up.”
Call me a hopeless romantic, but this is beyond sweet,” said another. “He did a great job pulling off this surprise.”
A third said: “Oh these proposals lately, the bar has been raised!”
However, while most of the comments were positive, the proposal video attracted some criticism.
“Call me crazy, but isn’t this a terrible waste of resources?” one user commented, though Bell quickly reiterated that the police officers involved were off duty.
“Reporter was lured into covering fake domestic violence and suicide so she could be proposed to??? Gross,” read another comment.
Either way, the happy couple is excited about their journey ahead.
Ending her Twitter post, Bell wrote: “Can’t wait to spend forever with you. I’m the luckiest girl.”
