Florida man’s proposal goes viral thanks to ‘lost wallet’ scheme with local cop: ‘Dude, she has no idea’

Man proposes to girlfriend with help from police

A Florida college student enlisted the help of a campus police officer to trick his girlfriend into thinking he'd lost his wallet. What she didn't know, though, is that he was about to pop the question! (Video: Lakeland Police Department)

LAKELAND, Fla. - Romance took an unconventional turn at a Florida college when a student orchestrated a proposal for his soon-to-be fiancée that involved a creative collaboration with law enforcement.

The plan? Florida Southern College student Craig Vandenberg enlisted a campus police officer on Dec. 10 to trick his girlfriend into thinking he'd lost his wallet, the Lakeland Police Department shared on Facebook. The video has since gone viral, amassing nearly 8,000 views since it was posted on Saturday. You can watch the full video in the player above.

Campus Officer Leach stepped in and called Vandenberg's girlfriend Emery to let her know about the "found" wallet.

Photo: Lakeland Police Department

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"I need your help," Leach told Emery. "A police officer from downtown found Craig's wallet and you're listed as an emergency contact for him. I tried to call him, and I went by his house, but I can't get a hold of him. I'm about to go home for the day and I want to try and get the wallet back … Where can I meet you to give this back?"

Emery was startled, to say the least, that a campus police officer had called her.

"Oh goodness!" she said, before agreeing to meet Leach at a pavilion at Lake Morton across campus.

Vandenberg, armed with a bouquet of flowers and an engagement ring, hopped in Leach's patrol car and the two made their way to the proposal site.

Photo: Lakeland Police Department

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"Dude, she has no idea," Leach said.

Emery met up with Leach and unassumingly checked out the wallet to make sure everything was still inside. After exchanging a couple of thank yous, Leach had one more surprise for Emery.