PISCATAWAY – A Rutgers graduate student didn't just lose a piece of hardware when someone stole his laptop. He lost five years of research that he needs for his upcoming thesis defense.

The chemistry Ph.D candidate posted a letter about his predicament on the Rutgers campus, which has gone viral on the website Reddit and on Facebook for its unusual offer to the thief. He said he's willing to pay $1,000, and let the thief keep the laptop, if he can just have the research on his computer back.

"If you stole my laptop and you are now reading this letter, I would like to say that you can keep the computer and I would like to pay you for my data under D drive," the student wrote.

The student didn't respond to emails or phone calls earlier this week. A Rutgers University police official told MyCentralJersey.com: "We certainly understand the stress a Ph.D. is under, losing that type of work at such a critical juncture. However, posting a flier like that can be risky," because the student could get ripped off again.

A Rutgers University student's desperate plea to get his laptop back went viral.

A Facebook user posted a photo of the flier online Tuesday in hopes of helping the student find his laptop, and over 30,000 people have shared the student's desperate plea.

One person commented: "5 years of research and it wasn't backed up? Wow."

The letter has even become a "meme" on the Rutgers University subreddit – or to translate roughly, an inside joke on a popular Internet community.

There's no word on whether the student has gotten his laptop back.

More Middlesex County news