Victoria Priola Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
STATEN ISLAND, NY — Courtney English, 23, got an emotional surprise during her Friday afternoon shift as a waitress at the Lamp Post Diner in New Jersey, according to NJ.com.
A New Jersey police officer — who wishes to remain anonymous — interacted with English only to receive a menu, order a salad and pay for his meal. It wasn’t until he overheard her telling another customer of the upcoming birth of her first child, that he felt inspired to leave a $100 tip on a $8.75 check.
It wasn’t until the officer left the diner that English saw the tip amount and a note that read “Enjoy your first. You will never forget it.”
Moved to tears by the act of kindness, English sent a photo of the receipt to her father Brian Cadigan. He posted the photo on social media with the caption, “I don’t know you, Mr. Police Officer, but you made my little girl cry, and made her year.”
Since Friday, Cadigan’s post has gained social media traction with thousands of shares. Since the post went live, this silent hero was identified by the Lamp Post Diner manager as a “regular” who works with the Voorhees Township Police Department.
“It’s not the amount, it’s the humanity of it,” Cadigan said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. “He saw she was struggling and a young girl. She was working in a diner while pregnant, standing with that kind of weight on her, and it was his way of saying, ‘I understand your struggle’.”
You always hear about how Bad the Police are, How They treated you like dirt, how they are on a Power Trip, Yes I am…
Posted by Brian Cadigan on Saturday, February 16, 2019
———
©2019 Staten Island Advance, N.Y.
