SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Life can be full of surprises.
On Thursday, Alyssa Ruklic got the surprise she never thought would come.
The kindness of a stranger helped reunite her with a cherished family heirloom she lost at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"I've got something for you. There you go. Found its way back home," Ryan Kerns said when he met Ruklic for the first time outside of IMS Thursday.
"Thank you so much," an emotional Ruklic said as she hugged Kerns. "I can't believe you found it."
Kerns said he watched a 13News report explaining how Ruklic lost her necklace with a race car pendant that her late grandparents gave her 30 years ago.
Kerns, who is from Columbus, Ohio, drove to IMS with friends and his dad.
"My dad went to get something to eat, and I started telling him about the story and he was like, 'Ah, that's a good story.' And I said, 'Wow, I just found the necklace,'" Kerns said.
Kerns found it in the most unexpected places.
"I looked down and it just jumped right up at me. It was just laying right underneath the picnic table, kind of pressed against the picnic table leg," Kerns said.
Ruklic said she's grateful to have her pendant and necklace back.
"Not having my grandparents here anymore, it's like having a piece of them with me at the Speedway, and it's pretty special," Ruklic said.
A special necklace has been returned to its owner by a person doing a good deed.
"It feels good to see people happy," Kerns said.