Individuals such as 47-year-old Pierre Lucien, who is attempting to move past his failed engagement, arrived at Times Square Friday to send symbols of their painful past through the giant shredder, the New York Daily News said Saturday.

"I want to erase her out of my life forever," said Lucien, moments before sending a photo of his ex-fiancee into the shredder. "Now she will know that I mean business."

Organized by the Times Square Alliance, the event was based on a traditional Latin American event in which individuals overcome their past by burning a doll filled with mementos.

The newspaper said former schoolteacher Eileen Lawrence won the event's $250 award for the most creative memento destined for the shredder.

The 47-year-old educator had created a collage from a photo of her former principal, who Lawrence was happy to say goodbye to as the artistic item became only a memory in the shredder.