It was a simple act of kindness on a cold New York night, but it warmed the hearts of thousands of people across the country.
A photo of NYPD Officer Larry DePrimo offering boots and socks to a homeless man in Midtown has gone viral, with nearly 80,000 shares from the department’s Facebook page.
The image was snapped on the night of Nov. 14 by tourist Jennifer Foster who was visiting from Arizona when she was struck by the sight of DePrimo kneeling beside the man, offering him the boots and socks and even putting them on his feet.
“Right when I was about to approach, one of your officers came up behind him,” Foster said, according to the NYPD’s Facebook page. “The officer said, ‘I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let’s put them on and take care of you.'”
The photo was shared 79,270 times by Thursday morning and garnered more than 324,000 “likes.”
“You, Mr. Officer, are amazing & show compassion beyond your call of duty. I hope you & your family are blessed ten-fold,” one Facebook user said. “By this simple act, you exemplified what we all should strive to be – compassionate humans who care.”
“An officer AND a gentleman,” another user added.
The department is encouraging other citizens to send in their NYPD snapshots. 
