Watch CBS News

Bethel Park Police Officers' Act Of Kindness Goes Viral On Social Media

BETHEL PARK (KDKA) -- An act of kindness by a few police officers after a man suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow in Bethel Park is getting lots of attention on social media.

The Facebook post has been viewed thousands of times with the hashtag, #PeopleHelpingPeople.

It may not seem like much, a couple of officers with shovels in their hand, but it was much more than that.

"It was something that police officers do every day, but somebody just happened to take a picture and notice it this time," said Bethel Park Police Officer Mike Mincin.

It was along Stonewood Drive where the 75-year-old man went out to clear the driveway after the first round of snow on Tuesday morning, but collapsed, suffering a heart attack.

"We hooked up an AED and Officer Goreman started doing compressions, and while he was doing that, the paramedics arrived and took over," said Officer Mincin.

It was after the medics rushed the man to the hospital, who was at that point conscious and speaking and his wife following behind the ambulance, that the three officers at the house, Officers Mincin, Beer and Gorman, picked up the tools left behind and got to work.

"I suggested, 'Let's finish the driveway,' and they were like, 'Yeah, let's do it,'" said Officer Mincin. "We grabbed some shovels and a broom and finished shoveling the driveway, along with the neighbor across the street actually jumped in and helped."

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

It was a simple act of kindness says neighbor, Sarah Chicas, but it did not go unnoticed.

"To see that there are good police officers out there who are willing to go above and beyond, who didn't have to do that, but took the time to help her and the family as a whole, was a great thing to see," she said.

Today BPPD Officers and Tri-Community South EMS responded to a call for an unresponsive male in a driveway with CPR...

Posted by Bethel Park Police Department on Tuesday, January 12, 2016

The picture, posted on Bethel Park Police's Facebook page, has hundreds of comments. Officer Mincin says it's amazing to see the response, but what they did was not out of the ordinary.

"But if it wasn't for that, most people wouldn't know that officers do stuff like that every day," said Officer Mincin.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.