Woman Shocked by 12-Hour Law & Order SVU Scavenger Hunt Proposal with Special Cameo from Ice-T (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Maddie Anderson and her boyfriend Tyler during her proposal.Photo:Maddie Anderson; Nadia Nowak-Leight

Maddie Anderson; Nadia Nowak-Leight

Maddie Anderson’s Saturday morning in July started off like any other.

Her boyfriend, Tyler, headed to the gym to play basketball, a routine he followed every weekend. Shortly after he left, the 32-year-old San Diego local received a text from her friend inviting her to go shopping, which she gladly accepted.

It wasn’t until Anderson, a massiveLaw & Order: SVUfan who began watching the show in college, looked closely at the bandana and discovered it was inscribed with a message.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Maddie Anderson holding up badge.Maddie Anderson

Maddie Anderson

“She was in full character, ‘Hey, I’m here to give you your first mission. I’m one of the operation coordinators,'” Anderson recalls. “I was like, ‘Okay, what’s going on?’ She sat me down and immediately played the video from rapper and actor Ice-T, and I was completely shocked.”

“Ice-T said, ‘You have a mission, follow the clues,’ and then there was a flash of a ring in the video,” she says.

At that moment, Anderson, who had been dating Tyler for 10 years, had a feeling of what was happening: Tyler was going to propose.

Word search from Maddie Anderson proposal.Maddie Anderson

“Ty had hired a private driver and a black SUV. This guy was in a suit and picked me up,” she says. “Every time I got in the car, my mind was racing. I was thinking, ‘Who am I meeting?’ ‘What’s happening?’ ‘This is insane.'”

When the group reached the bottom of the bucket, Anderson says her friends turned to her and exclaimed, ‘Oh look, there’s something in the bucket." It turned out to be a baggie containing a map of the zoo inside, along with a flashlight.

“I was like, why a flashlight? It’s the middle of the day,” Anderson says. “So, I’m examining this map, turning it around, trying to figure out what it means. Then I realize, okay, I guess I have to shine this light on it. I moved into the shade and started shining the light, revealing that Tyler had written the next clue in invisible ink on the map, which led me to the penguins.”

“Tyler had arranged for us to get backstage access to see the penguins, which was amazing. We got to unwind a bit and enjoy watching them. They’re so cute,” Anderson adds. “Then my friend gave me a gift from the penguins, which was this bracelet with ‘Japanese Friendship Garden’ engraved on it. I realized that must be the next place I was going.”

Maddie Anderson feeding animals at the zoo.Maddie Anderson

From there, she was handed a clue that led her to Nordstrom, where she found her mom and her 11-year-old cousin’s daughter waiting for her with a dress.

“Then I got in the car and they blindfolded me, which was not comfortable at all, especially since I get carsick,” Anderson recalls. “I had no idea where we were going. At this point, obviously, I’m in a dress, preparing myself for Ty. I’m thinking this is probably a proposal.”

After some time, the car came to a stop, and Anderson removed her blindfold. She realized they were at Torrey Pines State Reserve, where her dad, who passed away in 2013, had proposed to her mom.

“That was the biggest surprise of the day, honestly, because it hadn’t crossed my mind,” she says. “Not only was it the same place, but Ty had spoken with my mom and discovered the exact spot where my dad proposed to her.”

Anderson continues, “I was already crying. My mom was crying. It was so sweet because she held my hand and walked me up to the exact spot. We shared a hug, and then I approached Ty’s setup with a blanket and flowers.”

“He proposed, I said yes, and we hugged,” she adds. “That’s when I noticed one of my good friends, who is a photographer, and Ty’s best friend were also there.”

Maddie Anderson’s boyfriend Tyler posing to her.Nadia Nowak-Leight

Nadia Nowak-Leight

After the proposal, Anderson took toTikTokto share her experience, knowing how much effort Tyler had put into it and how special it was. To her surprise, her videos went viral with one garnering over 320,000 views.

“It’s funny, my fiancé is not huge into games. I love true crime. Those aren’t his interests at all,” she says. “Sometimes men need to be told things a lot to remember but there was never a point where I mentioned specific locations as like, ‘Oh, you should propose to me here,’ or ‘This place is so special, or ‘We should do something here.’ That was all him”

“If this is how he proposed, I’m just excited to see how our wedding is and when we have kids and they have birthdays, he’s just so thoughtful, I think. I can’t wait to see what else he does,” she adds.

source: people.com