By Alex Robinson
An elderly Whitestone couple got a big hand from two officers from the 109th Precinct who happened to be passing by last week when the seniors were attempting to dig their car out of a pile of snow and ice.
Theresa Lederer, 86, and her husband Arnold, 96, were hoping to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription when they were faced with the daunting task of digging out their car, which was enveloped in 2 to 3 feet of snow.
Officers Adrianne Galvani and Cory Smith were driving down Willets Point Boulevard in their squad car when they saw the Lederers struggling with the snow. They quickly did a U-turn and came to the seniors’ aid.
“They saw two old people and figured we needed help, which we did,” Theresa Lederer said. “They were very nice.”
The officers made short work of the snow, which Lederer feared might take them all day to clear.
“I was extremely gratified. I offered to make coffee for them, but they refused,” Lederer said.
The old couple were so grateful they wrote a letter to the cops’ commanding officer to thank them for their service.
“They took our shovels and told us we were not needed. They told us to go in our house and rest and that they would remove all the snow from around our car,” they wrote in the letter.
Galvani and Smith even dropped by the next day to check on the couple.
“What can I say? We can’t say enough about how nice they were,” Lederer said.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
