strange baggage issue
 

Checked in 2 suitcases at NYC. One was on the baggage carrousel in LAX without problem. Could not find the other one There was an identical suitcase on the belt but it had a rainbow cloth belt around it so we assumed it was not ours. All the baggage was unloaded and pax gone and all that remained was this one bag. We assumed someone erroneously took ours. Went over to check it and it was OUR bag.There was no belt on it when it was taken at baggage drop and it was not damaged so that someone had to put a belt on it. This was a solid Rimoa and needed no support.
Can anyone explain this? Well meaning baggage handler?

Possibly the belt fell off someone else's bag and the handler mistakenly put it on yours.

That’s why I use AirTags to track my bags, I would have known it was my bag with an added mysterious ribbon.

I would strongly suspect this. Those belts are (often) cheap and pop off easily. When that happens baggage handlers will often put it on the closest bag. Often, that works out well. Sometimes, as in your case, not so much.

June is pride month. So your suitcase was showings some extra pride.

Or TSA opened both bags and put the strap onto the wrong one.

Conjecture: Baggage handler behind the scenes puts the belt on a suitcase, any suitcase, so the belt can ride it out to the public area. Then the belt is more likely to be seen and claimed by its owner.

Drawback: If the suitcase the belt fell from was similar, the owner of the belt might assume the suitcase it is now on was theirs and claim that in error.