Officer’s act of kindness helps family after car fire
By Taylor Hess
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SHREWSBURY, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — Sidney Wilcox was at a red light when she noticed her car starting to smoke, prompting her to drive to a nearby parking lot to get herself and her 11-month-old son to safety, where a police officer’s act of kindness left a lasting impression.
“Just pure, just terror, not knowing what was going to happen, not knowing if he was going to get out safely or not,” Wilcox said. “You know what? If the door was locked.”
After pulling into the parking lot, Wilcox said everything went wrong at once.
“Yeah, I lost my brakes and I lost my steering. Right. As soon as I pulled in and I couldn’t pull into a spot or anything,” she said.
Not long after, the community jumped into action, with a few bystanders trying to put out the fire using fire extinguishers they had on hand. The police department and fire crews soon arrived to assist.
Officer Hanson from the Southern Regional Police Department was among those who helped the family.
“I was sitting in his car. He asked me and Henry to sit in his car because it was chilly out. You know, get warm,” Wilcox said. “So he came over and he said, ‘Whoever’s picking you up, do they have a car seat?’ And I’m like, ‘My parents are coming. I don’t know, I don’t think so.'”
In the midst of the chaos, Hanson offered a moment of pure kindness that Wilcox will never forget.
“I’m going to go ahead and I’m going to go get you a car seat. We can go up to Walmart, and we can go grab you one just so he has to take me home,” Wilcox said.
The kindness extended beyond putting out the fire.
“He said, ‘Pick out anyone you want.’ I said, ‘What’s my budget?’ And he goes, ‘Pick any one you want.’ So yeah, he was awesome,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox expressed her gratitude for the stranger who became the support her family needed in that moment.
“Thank you for being a genuine human. Because in my time of need, you were there,” she said.
Thankfully, Wilcox and her son escaped unharmed.
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