HINGHAM, Mass. — Touching surveillance footage from a Massachusetts Panera Bread store shows a young girl befriending a police officer who was eating alone.
“When a new 4 year old friend we just met wants to sit with us on a dinner break,” the Hingham Police Department wrote in a Facebook post. “A very adorable and very outgoing Lillian with Sgt. Steven Dearth having the best dinner date ever.”
In a later post, featuring a photo of the duo, the Hingham Police Department wrote, “It means a lot to Police Officers when people say hi, especially when children approach us. Four year old Lillian came up to Sgt. Steven Dearth tonight to say hi and wanted to sit with him for dinner break. Of course, we gave her a Junior Police Officer sticker and had the best dinner date. She even asked to have a play date ‘in a few days’.”
Lillian was at the restaurant with her parents and younger brother when she decided to take a seat at Sgt. Dearth’s table, according to ABC News. Lillian and her father also got a little “thank you” gift after the meal – a tour of Dearth’s police car.
Hingham is a town located along Boston Harbor, on the south shore of Massachusetts.
