Police officer makes special house call to calm fears of boy after thieves attempt to steal family car

A Wall Township police officer responded to a mother's text message, while off duty, to make sure a scared child had the reassurance he needed.

News 12 Staff

Apr 2, 2020, 12:05 PM

Updated 1,477 days ago

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A Wall Township police officer responded to a mother's text message, while off duty, to make sure a scared child had the reassurance he needed. 
It happened Saturday around 5:30 a.m.
According to officials, a family woke up and looked out the window to see two men in ski masks trying to unsuccessfully steal their car.  When police arrived, the men sped off and got away.
A routine call, but scary for sure for the family, especially true for sixth-grader Aiden.
Once officer Shane Roland left Saturday morning, Aiden began feeling anxious, nervous and worried the bad guys would try to come back to their home and go after him and his family.
After Aiden couldn't sleep for several nights, his mother Stacy texted officer Roland for help. This past Monday, while off duty, officer Roland made a very special house call and spent 20 minutes with Aiden, answering his questions and most importantly calming his fear and anxiety.
Once he left, Stacy says she noticed an immediate change in Aiden, all because of the special house call by officer Roland. 
“Aiden was unsettled about it,” says officer Roland. “His mom asked if I could come over and reassure him everything was all right. I did. I answered a couple of questions he had, which was intelligent for the age. He is lucky. It's terrible having someone like that feeling unsafe. I did everything I could to settle him a little bit.”
Police say it's important to listen to children's fears, especially now with the world the way it is and many children already anxious about being out of school.


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