A random act of kindness is going viral on Twitter, but the NYPD officers behind it say it was all in a day’s work.
Three members of the NYPD Strategic Response Group were on patrol in Manhattan Thursday during Fourth of July festivities. They stopped to get something to eat at the Whole Foods in Union Square when security guards stopped them about a woman accused of stealing food.
Instead of arresting her, the officers paid for the food in her bag. A passerby snapped a shot of the moment, which has been shared across the web.
“She told me she was hungry, so I looked in her bag and…we decided to say, ‘we'll pay for her food,’” said Lt. Louis Sojo. “At that moment she was extremely emotional. She did thank us, but she was pretty much speechless at what happened.”
Those officers say they didn't get the woman's name before they parted ways and that they are humbled by the praise they have received.