"One afternoon in December 2025, Jamie Pastorello, an officer with the Syracuse Police Department, was parked in his car finishing paperwork when he noticed a woman struggling up a hill with a cardboard box balanced on her head, stopping every few steps to rest. "I thought, 'I've got to go give this lady a ride,' Pastorello recalls in an interview with TODAY.com. The woman, Rhea Holmes, 55, told Pastorello, 33, she was on her way to Oakwood Cemetery, where her husband was buried."
"Before parting ways, Holmes asked Pastorello if he would take a photo of them together. The department later shared the picture on its Facebook page, describing the encounter as a reflection of the holiday season, a small act of kindness, a moment of human connection between strangers. Posted in the days before Christmas, the image traveled quickly, far beyond Syracuse, New York."
Jamie Pastorello, a Syracuse police officer, offered a ride to Rhea Holmes, who was carrying groceries to Oakwood Cemetery. Holmes revealed she was visiting her husband’s grave. A photo of them was posted by the police department and widely shared. A cemetery worker recognized Holmes and reported that she had been sleeping at the cemetery for about eight months. Holmes had avoided shelters because she felt they were less safe and preferred to remain invisible, relying on routines, faith, and pride to manage without asking for help.
Read at TODAY.com
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