Police officer buys homeless man shoes

Shoes stolen while man was asleep

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It was early Sunday morning, and Officer Roland Rivera of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department was working off-duty detail in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

A man approached his patrol car, torn to pieces, claiming he was just the victim of a crime.

"He was pretty much in tears and distraught," said Officer Roland Rivera. "He was really depressed over the fact that somebody had stolen his shoes while he was sleeping."

The man, identified as Brian was barefoot and hanging around Esplanade Park.

Rivera promised he would help, so as soon as stores opened that morning, he went to Sears and bought Brian a pair of shoes and socks.

Brian was very appreciative and left a voicemail for Rivera later on which said in part: "This is Brian, hopefully you remember me. You gave me the boots. I just wanted to say thank you again. It's like walking on air. I have been getting so many compliments."


About the Author:

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.