Boston Police Sergeant Helps Elderly Man After His Car Was Towed
BOSTON (CBS) -- Boston Police Sgt. Tim Gaughan was out of his South Boston district Wednesday, but as it turns out, he was right where he needed to be.
"'Help me please, sir. Officer, help me!' And when I turn, it looked like he was having a medical (issue) or a heart attack," he said.
A 68-year-old East Boston man had walked from Massachusetts General Hospital to Government Center looking for his car and for help.
"He was saying his car was missing. His wife was in the hospital. He started getting very emotional, almost crying, (saying) 'I don't know how to get back to her!'" Gaughan told WBZ-TV on Thursday.
His car, mistakenly parked in a no-stopping zone, had apparently been towed and Gaughan knew just where to find it.
"I said, 'Pal, it's your lucky day. I work over there. That's where I'm going right now,'" he said.
He drove the man to the Transportation Department's tow lot, but he didn't have the cash needed to pick up his car. Gaughan just so happened to have a $100 bill.
"He said, 'I can't pay you, I don't have the money.' I just said, 'Happy Easter, it's a gift. Don't worry about it. You go back, take care of your wife,'" said the sergeant.
Gaughan directed him back to the hospital, thinking nothing of what he had done, and told almost no one.
The next day, the man's son-in-law called the station, asking how to repay the officer. Gaughan suggested he donate to a fundraiser for a fellow officer.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time," he said.