Bible missing for over 20 years reunited with owner after Pennsylvania firefighter found it in coat pocket

A Bible that was lost more than 20 years ago after Hurricane Ivan battered western Pennsylvania will be reunited with its owner after it was found in the strangest of places. 

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Oakdale Hose Company said that a firefighter found something he didn't recognize while going through his bunker gear to make sure everything he needed was in his pockets.

"We go through our pockets and our gear regularly to make sure we have everything, and he just came walking over and he said, 'hey, this doesn't belong to me, I have no idea how it got in my coat,'" said Fire Chief Jim Snatchko. 

The firefighter found a small green change purse, which the chief opened up, hoping to find an ID or something inside to identify the owner. Instead, he found a small pocket Bible with an inscription and the date of May 12, 1997.

The chief and his wife did some internet sleuthing, leading them to former Oakdale resident Amanada Clotz. When the chief reached out to her, he said she was able to describe the Bible. 

"I've definitely been crying myself to sleep every night. It's definitely something at a time when I needed it the most," Clotz said. 

Clotz explained that her uncle, who was like a father figure to her, gave it to her when she needed it most. She said she lost the Bible in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan devastated the Pittsburgh area. But the Bible is undamaged, the inscription is in perfect condition, and there are no stains on the outside. 

"The fact they found it in good condition in somebody's coat pocket, it's a miracle," Clotz said. 

She said the only connection she can imagine the Bible having to the firehouse is that her house was next to it. 

"We (Amanda included) are at a total loss on how this could happen," the fire company wrote on Facebook. "How did it survive in great condition after Ivan and so many other natural disasters that Oakdale has seen in the last 21 years? How did it end up in our building that has been flooded so many times? And how in the hell did it end up in his coat pocket?"

The fire company said Clotz offered to pay for shipping, but the chief is sending it to her for free. 

"The only stipulation is that she has to pay it forward! Help someone out when they need it! This girl has an angel looking after her and we think he's pretty cool!" the fire company said. 

As for how it got there? Everyone is still scratching their heads. 

"That's the million-dollar question," said Snatchko.