Police Officers Get High Schooler To Graduation After Logan Square Crash
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police came to the rescue of a high school senior who almost missed her graduation ceremony Friday afternoon.
Shakespeare District officers on patrol found her crying in her minivan after an accident at Sawyer and Wabansia avenues around 3 p.m.
A vehicle trying to make a turn had lost control and smashed into Jokebed Castaneda's family minivan. No one was hurt, but the crash put a dent into a teenage milestone.
"I asked her if she was okay, if she needed medical attention, and she said the vehicle was parked. So I said 'Why are you crying?' And she said, 'Because I'm not going to be able to make my graduation,'" Chicago Police Sgt. Felipe Reyes said.
Reyes said he offered to give her Castaneda a ride after she tearfully told them her minivan was not driveable, and a tow truck wouldn't get her to graduation in time.
"She was grateful. You should have seen the happiness in her face when I asked if she needed a ride. She was very happy," Reyes said.
The sergeant and officers Jan Ashley DeJesus and James Regnier drove the girl to North Grand High School's graduation ceremony at the Copernicus Center in time for commencement at 4 p.m.
Castaneda sat in the back seat of the police SUV and talked with the officers about her plans to attend Iowa State University in the fall. The officers took a picture with the girl in her yellow cap and gown before dropping her off.
"I appreciate their hard work and how they take care of our city and I also appreciate how they took the time off to take me to my ceremony," Castaneda said in a phone interview.
She hasn't spoken to the officers since just before her graduation, but she plans to thank them sometime in the near future. On Sunday, she was in Iowa, getting acclimated to the campus where she'll be attending college in August.