ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — Jonathan Thompson has been hauling mail on a tractor-trailer for more than 30 years.
But a recent moment is staying with him.
While finishing up a shift at the Rockville Centre Post Office on a Sunday morning at about 7:45, he drove down Grand Avenue, a couple of blocks from the Southern State Parkway.
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“I noticed two little girls in the middle of the street,” Thompson told Patch. “I pulled over.”
The Westbury native ran to the unsupervised youngsters, estimated to be around 5 years old, and asked if they knew their mommy’s whereabouts.
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The children said they didn’t know and thought she might be working.
Thompson also asked the sisters where they live. They pointed to a house, and he accompanied them. However, he quickly realized this was not the correct location.
He called his supervisor for guidance and the Nassau County police. He was told it was in the Hempstead police jurisdiction, who took the children and Thompson’s statement.
Thompson, who typically runs a route from Stewart Avenue in Garden City to Queens, said the girls were dressed in brown, fluffy jackets, wearing pajamas and holding teddy bears.
“They looked like they were confused or lost,” he said. “I will never get that vision out of my head.”
Thompson’s actions to rescue the girls did not go unnoticed by his bosses. He received a letter from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy that said in part: “I want to commend your selfless display of civic duty.”
The girls, wh0 were walking in the right lane, could have been hit by upcoming traffic, or much worse.
“I think I did a good deed,” he said. “I acted so fast on it. I just felt good about it.”
Thompson followed up with the police the next day and he was told the parents reunited with them. The officer also thanked him.
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“I hope any human being would do the same thing,” Thompson said. “What, [should] we just ignore them? I wouldn’t do that.”
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