The man was trying to find cans to cash in for change so he could buy socks for himself.
It was a heartwarming moment as one of New York's Finest offered to buy socks for a homeless man spotted rummaging through garbage.
Commuter Joshua Lagan said he was in Grand Central Station Friday morning when he noticed a homeless man digging through a trash can and turned his back, as he said most New Yorkers would, until he noticed some cops walk over.
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“I was struck at how kindly they were talking to him. They didn’t tell him to just leave. They were treating him very fairly,” Lagan told InsideEdititon.com.
By this time Lagan said onlookers went about their business but he continued to watch the interaction, and heard one of the officers ask the homeless man why he was digging through the trash.
He told the officer he was collecting cans so he could buy socks, he said.
The homeless man was taken aback by the fact that the cop cared enough to ask, Lagan added.
Without hesitation, the cop put his arm on his shoulder. Smiling, he said, "I‘ll buy you socks. It’s Christmas soon, right? I’ll buy you socks for Christmas. Merry Christmas."
Lagan shared the story on his Facebook page, and it has been shared more than 2,000 times.
“What was amazing for me was how [the officer] humanized the homeless,” Lagan said.
Through that interaction, Lagan was reminded that we are all human.
“There was this really beautiful moment that everyone else missed because they turned around. I was like how many beautiful moments of humanity do we miss or do I miss?” he said.
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Lagan said he was inspired by what he saw and hopes to find that homeless man again, with the help of officers.
“My default reaction is it’s easier to just give money rather than have a conversation,” said Lagan. “I am meeting up with the officer this week and we are trying to find the man so I can give him a gift of my own for Christmas.”
Watch: Police Officer Buys Homeless Man Shoes After His Were Stolen
