The ‘T-rex of Florham Park’ brings joy and laughter to a quarantined world

An 8-year-old boy from Florham Park is doing what he can to help lift the spirits of his neighbors during the coronavirus quarantine.
A few times every week, James Hunt will go out for his daily walk with his family donned in a Tyrannosaurs Rex costume his sister used for Halloween last year. During the walks, he waves at cars and performs some funny dances.
“My plan when I go on walks like this is to make young, old and middle age people really happy,” Hunt says.
The boy walks down Townsend Drive and on to Ridgedale Avenue. Neighbors wave, drivers honk and everybody smiles.
“I think it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing for the neighborhood…it just makes you feel good,” says neighbor John Modrowsky.
In a world with the first global pandemic in 100 years, the sight of a T-Rex walking about is just a regular feature of the lockdown. It something neighbors look forward to in a time when there is not much else.
Photos: The Heroes of the Coronavirus Pandemic
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“My mom said, ‘What about if you wave to some cars.’ And the first time I was like, ‘No, that’s not going to happen.’ But then I kept doing it and doing it and I kept feeling like I should wave at cars,” Hunt says. “And that turned out to be a simple act of kindness. I know that people love it. They’re honking and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, There’s a dinosaur.’”
It may seem silly or absurd, but even an 8-year-old is smart enough to know that things like this are important right now.
“Even when coronavirus is over, I’ll still be making awesome acts of kindness,” Hunt says.
Hunt typically takes his walks around 4 p.m. after he has finished his online learning for the day.