According to restaurant-goers, a gentleman in his 80s was having so much difficulty in accessing money on his credit card that he eventually called the police on himself as he had no idea what to do.
Shortly after the panicked phone call, Swatara Township Police Officer Anthony Glass arrived at the Capitol Diner and sat down in the same booth as the elderly man.
After a brief conversation, Officer Glass quietly paid for the man’s meal.
Although the officer tried to remain discreet, the thankful elderly man repeatedly asked the officer for his contact information so that he could repay him.
When images of this act of kindness first appeared online, many social media commenters were actually mistaken in thinking that the restaurant had called the police because the elderly man was unable to pay for his breakfast.
However, local Police Chief Darrell Reider confirmed that the elderly man was the one who actually called the authorities.
“He was confused, but had the wherewithal to call for assistance,” Reider said. “And I am very proud of the way Officer Glass handled the call.”
The restaurant patron who snapped the pic of the officer and witnessed the incident claims to have posted the photo to social media in an attempt to highlight the good work that police are doing.
The story of this small act of kindness continues to have a big impact on social media.
“He’s a great police officer,” Reider said. “He’s very compassionate, as are all of our officers. I’m proud of his actions this morning.”
Last time I checked I was living in Australia. While stories about American policing are vaguely interesting I fail to see the relevance to Melbourne, Australia. If you made a call like that to your local police station I am almost certain that they would tell you that you are wasting VicPol resources.
Hi Gian,
HelloCare’s content caters to all Australian states – not just Victoria. While the vast majority of our stories are Australian-based, we do like to showcase international stories that are positive in nature and highlight the importance of empathy for elders.
Love this story. Thank you to all involved – especially PO Reider – you have many many people’s day more than a tine brighter.
This brought tears to my eyes and a beautiful story xx