Tourists reunited with lost money, passports thanks to Good Samaritan and NYPD

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Two lucky tourists from Argentina witnessed firsthand how good New Yorkers can be.

They accidentally left a purse containing passports, credit cards, a cell phone and cash on a subway train.

Thanks to a Good Samaritan, and some swift detective work, they got everything back!

The two tourists had just flown into New York at JFK Airport.

They had been saving their money for three years to take this trip, and then the unthinkable happened.

Milagros de Vedia had just lost everything.

"Like a nightmare. She was in shock. They were scared, it was like a nightmare to her," de Vedia said through a translator.

The tourist from Argentina along with her friend, Barbara Fieg, had just flown into JFK Tuesday afternoon for the trip of a lifetime.

They had boarded the AirTrain to Jamaica Station and took the E train into the city.

But when they got off, Milagros suddenly realized she left her bag on the train.

"They ran back down but the train had gone," said Lt. Steve Kaminski, NYPD Security Chief.

"We were crying. We were desperate and that was on our first day and we didn't know what to do," Fieg said.

About that time, a Good Samaritan also riding the E train found the bag and took it to One Police Plaza where he turned it over to the security detail.

"He looked into the bag and it was just some personal items, so he picked it up off the train and brought it directly to us," said Sgt. Carmine Nicastro, NYPD Security Detail.

"It contained over $3,000 in U.S. currency, passport, personal belongings, a couple of credit cards, MetroCards," Lt. Kaminski said.

Lt. Kaminski who heads security at police headquarters along with Sgt. Nicastro then began the real detective work.

"I had no information, other than she just arrived via JFK into New York," Lt. Kaminski said.

Using numbers in her cell phone, the lieutenant contacted Milagros's sister in Buenos Aires who called Barbara Fieg on her cell phone.

"I brought them in. Reunited her with her bag thanks to the Good Samaritan and a little police work," Lt. Kaminski said.

"It actually worked out for everyone, where she got her stuff back, which doesn't happen very often," Sgt. Nicastro said.

So what do the tourists think of New Yorkers and the Good Samaritan?

"We want to thank Steve and everyone who participated and the very honest man who found the purse and took time to come here and return it," de Vedia said.