Elderly Man Calls Police to Give Him a Ride to Visit Wife in Hospital

We were sent a picture of Deputy Chief Bentley helping an elderly man into UPMC Susquehann
Montoursville Police Department

An elderly man in Pennsylvania dedicated to being by his wife’s side in her hour of need called the police to help him get to the hospital last week.

The Associated Press reported that the frail, 84-year-old man could not drive when his wife of the same age had a medical emergency Thursday evening and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance.

The man told Montoursville Police Chief Jeff Gyurina, who was present at the time, that he had no family nearby to take him to the hospital and could not drive himself there due to his health.

Gyurina responded by giving the man the cell number for the patrol car and asked him to call the number whenever he needed to go.

Deputy Chief Jason Bentley received a call a few hours later, picked up the 84-year-old, and escorted him to UPMC Susquehanna in Williamsport. When the man arrived, hospital staff fetched a wheelchair and took him to see his wife in the emergency room.

“It’s a small town so you try to help out when you can,” the chief said.

Bentley eventually posted the photo to the Montoursville Police Department’s Facebook page, where it went viral. As of Tuesday afternoon, the photo received more than 5,000 reactions and nearly 1,500 shares.

The reactions to the photo were overwhelmingly positive, with many Facebook users praising Bentley for his kind actions.

“This police officer’s actions are so commendable and human. Being kind to each other is so, so important no matter what it might be,” one person commented.

“What a wonderful thing this police officer did,” another user wrote. “It’s not always about catching bad guys and writing tickets. It’s about community SERVICE.”

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