A New Jersey policeman was incredibly grateful when he stopped at a local diner for food and found his dinner had been paid for.
What he didn’t know however, was that an eight-year-old girl had paid for it. And there’s a special reason behind her heartwarming gesture.
Little Mikayla Raji is the daughter of two police officers. Her dad Tommy was killed on duty in 2008 by a drunk driver before she was born, and her mum Mimi has since retired from the force.
Mikayla “has a special place in her heart for police officers” as she never knew her dad but associates the uniform with him.
So, when she saw the officer, identified as Ptl. Quinn at the restaurant, she smiled and said hello to him. Mikayla’s mum Mimi said that Mikayla whispered to her, saying that she wanted to buy his food.
Before leaving the restaurant, the little girl stopped to chat to the officer. The officer was delighted with the free meal, and later on his department posted a message on Facebook, saying they had discovered Mikayla had paid for it through “diligent police work”. They said they wanted to thank the little girl for her kind gesture, which was much appreciated.
Mikayla’s mum told News 12 New Jersey that her daughter “has a huge heart”.
"She looks up to police officers. She knows their job is hard,” Mimi said. “She knows they put their lives on the line for us.”
In the Facebook post, the department thanked Mikayla’s mother, a former officer, herself: “On behalf of all the members of the Jamesburg Police Department, we want to thank you for Tommy’s service as well as yours.
“Mikayla is a great kid, and you should be very proud of her.”
The department gave Mikayla a big thank you as well, and have set up an online fundraiser for her future education.
They’ve also invited the little girl to come and visit police headquarters any time she likes.
“You have an OPEN invitation to stop by Headquarters whenever you want, and this time dinner is on us!” their Facebook post read. “Your dad would be so proud of the person you are. If you ever need us for anything, you can guarantee we will be there for you.”
