by James Gould-Bourn
When 13-year-old Cameron Simmons from Sumter, South Carolina, called police officer Gaetano Acerra to tell him that he was planning to run away, the cop went to his house to investigate. The boy said he’d had a fight with his mother and didn’t want to live there anymore, but it was only when Acerra looked into the boy’s bedroom that he truly understood the gravity of the situation.
Cameron had almost no furniture, and his bed consisted of an air mattress that deflated during the night and gave him frequent back pain. It seems that his mother had fallen into financial difficulties since moving from Texas to care for a sick relative, and when officer Acerra saw the boy’s situation, he knew he had to help. So a few weeks later he returned with a desk, a chair, a television and a queen-sized bed for Cameron. He even gave him a Nintendo Wii that somebody had donated after hearing about the teenager’s story.
“My heart went out for him,” Acerra told WIS-TV. “I thought the little things that he needed I could give him, to make him a happier kid. I didn’t do this for publicity or to get people to notice me. I did it because I could. It was the right thing to do and I think people should do things like this.”
Police in the US often seem to get a lot of bad press, but this story goes to show that many cops are going above and beyond the call of duty in order to serve and protect.
When this 13-year-old called an officer to say he was going to run away from home, the cop decided to step in
He went to meet Cameron Simmons to see what happened
When the cop looked into his room he was shocked – no bed, just a deflated air mattress that gave him back pain
Apparently, his mother had fallen into financial difficulties since moving from Texas to care for a sick relative
So a few weeks later he returned with a real bed, a desk, a chair, a television, and a Nintendo Wii for Cameron
When 13-year-old Cameron Simmons from Sumter, South Carolina, called police officer Gaetano Acerra to tell him that he was planning to run away, the cop went to his house to investigate. The boy said he’d had a fight with his mother and didn’t want to live there anymore, but it was only when Acerra looked into the boy’s bedroom that he truly understood the gravity of the situation.
Cameron had almost no furniture, and his bed consisted of an air mattress that deflated during the night and gave him frequent back pain. It seems that his mother had fallen into financial difficulties since moving from Texas to care for a sick relative, and when officer Acerra saw the boy’s situation, he knew he had to help. So a few weeks later he returned with a desk, a chair, a television and a queen-sized bed for Cameron. He even gave him a Nintendo Wii that somebody had donated after hearing about the teenager’s story.
“My heart went out for him,” Acerra told WIS-TV. “I thought the little things that he needed I could give him, to make him a happier kid. I didn’t do this for publicity or to get people to notice me. I did it because I could. It was the right thing to do and I think people should do things like this.”
Police in the US often seem to get a lot of bad press, but this story goes to show that many cops are going above and beyond the call of duty in order to serve and protect.
“My heart went out for him… I didn’t do this for publicity… I did it because I could. It was the right thing to do and I think people should do things like this”
