13-Year-Old Calls Police To Say He Wants To Run Away From Home, Cop Decides To Look Inside His Room
When 13-year-old Cameron Simmons from Sumter, South Carolina, called police officer Gaetano Acerra to tell him that he was planning to run away, the cop went to his house to investigate. The boy said he’d had a fight with his mother and didn’t want to live there anymore, but it was only when Acerra looked into the boy’s bedroom that he truly understood the gravity of the situation.
Cameron had almost no furniture, and his bed consisted of an air mattress that deflated during the night and gave him frequent back pain. It seems that his mother had fallen into financial difficulties since moving from Texas to care for a sick relative, and when officer Acerra saw the boy’s situation, he knew he had to help. So a few weeks later he returned with a desk, a chair, a television and a queen-sized bed for Cameron. He even gave him a Nintendo Wii that somebody had donated after hearing about the teenager’s story.
“My heart went out for him,” Acerra told WIS-TV. “I thought the little things that he needed I could give him, to make him a happier kid. I didn’t do this for publicity or to get people to notice me. I did it because I could. It was the right thing to do and I think people should do things like this.”
Police in the US often seem to get a lot of bad press, but this story goes to show that many cops are going above and beyond the call of duty in order to serve and protect. (h/t: WIS-TV)
When this 13-year-old called an officer to say he was going to run away from home, the cop decided to step in
Image credits: HLN
He went to meet Cameron Simmons to see what happened
Image credits: HLN
When the cop looked into his room he was shocked – no bed, just a deflated air mattress that gave him back pain
Image credits: worldmoney (not actual photo)
Apparently, his mother had fallen into financial difficulties since moving from Texas to care for a sick relative
So a few weeks later he returned with a real bed, a desk, a chair, a television, and a Nintendo Wii for Cameron
Image credits: HLN
“My heart went out for him… I didn’t do this for publicity… I did it because I could. It was the right thing to do and I think people should do things like this”
Image credits: HLN
Watch the video below for more on this amazing story:
The internet was quick to praise the officer for his compassion
1.1Mviews
Share on FacebookThis story is 3 years old, but still a nice story. Would be better if you could tell us how the boy's doing now though. Is he still friends with the cop? Are things better for his mother now?
I am from India. Here, that'd be neat enough place for a 13 year old. At least he has a room! And, a bed like that would be considered luxurious! Perspective.
http://khon2.com/2014/05/14/officer-starts-non-profit-to-help-needy-children-after-photo-goes-viral/ The cop ended up starting a non profit to help others, and Cameron's family received more offers of assistance. Glad to see that, family caregivers sacrifice so much to help others.
I remember having a row with my mum when I was seven, and telling my Dad over the phone that I had decided to runaway,but seeing as we were never allowed to cross the road without an adult,I didn't get too far...Infact I think I walked six houses down,remembered mum was cooking roast chicken,then went off the whole idea! We receive so much negativety about the police,that it made a nice change to read a positive story.... I'm sure there are loads of kind acts carried out by our police all around the world,,but like any kind of good news,it never seems to reach our newspapers. It would be nice to read a follow up story on this just to find out how this young man is doing today..His nice bed and things must have meant so much to him and to know he went from sleeping virtually on the floor to a nice bed makes me smile. I hope both him and mum are now doing much better.
If people weren't so self absorbed, then there would be more people like that police officer. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Load More Replies...A very nice action from an individual but why the hell doesn't the mother get more support from the state?? Where are the support services for children that exist in some other countries?
Despite the lies you see and hear all over, she probably does not qualify for support. In doing social work, I saw it every day. I had a single father of three little kids, two of which were special needs on my caseload. He made $10 per hour. They approved him for a lousy $40 per month in food stamps, NO child care, no TANF, nothing. It makes me so mad when I hear folks complain about people on welfare because the reality is that it is HARD to get the support when you need it.
Load More Replies...He didn't do it for publicity, yet here we are, making it public... I love the story, but I think it'd be sweeter if it was kept a secret between the family and cop. Makes it a more special memory for them.
I wrote the same thing and got 32 downvotes. People love a cheesy story, I guess.
Load More Replies...What this police officer did, is something that we all should be doing. As human beings, it is our duty to help one another. Unfortunately, that's not the case. A lot of us are so self absorbed, that we forget that there are people out there that are far less fortunate than us. This is why, when a person talks to me about anything, I will give that person my full attention, even if they're a stranger. My reason for doing so, is simple. We never know how much a person is suffering, and we may be the only person who they've spoken to in weeks, months, or even years.
Me and my brother slept head to toe on a couch in the living room, in a 1 bedroom apartment. If we couldnt get home by the time the chain was on the door we had to find somewhere else to sleep. No one called d.s.s. because they didnt want us in the system. I grew up in Raleigh N.C. I feel like that was an fantastic thing to do but that money could've been donated to a numerous amount of charities that could of helped more than just one idividual that seemed like he really didn't have it that bad.
very sorry to hear about your story no child should be tteated like that :(
Load More Replies...Probably felt guilty for all the black kids he's already shot! Disgusting pigs!
Now if only we can multiply cops like him and take away the abusive a hole cops that end lives instead of care for lives. :/
do not let your kids to do a such thing like running from home and going to their friends houses or a random person house.
In Nigeria where I come from, that's one beauty of a place to wake up for most children.
May we never lose the hope that there are more good people than bad in this world. God bless you, Officer, for giving a helping hand.
lol who need a bed when you have a matrass isent that the sam s**t?
Where were social services? Why was it down to a police officer to spend his own money to help this child?
Good job. Keep the god bless c**p out of it. This is what we humans should do.. dont need a silly book to teach us that.. unless of course you're an a*****e. Agreed cops do get a bad rap these days.. great to see a positive story. Give us an update if you can. Great story!! Made my day..
Anyone notice the computer next to the deflated bed?!? Priorities.
Well done indeed. You know, all we ever hear about is the horrible things officers do. If the world heard far more about the GOOD things officers do, and they do good things all the time. You know, if the world knew more about kids dealing with things like this then other people CAN and WILL do things to help them. Many times no one helps because no one knows. Everyone tries to keep things hidden because they're ashamed. About 10 to 15 years ago my mom and I discovered that her niece, my 1st cousin, had been sexually molested all the time by a stepfather. She thought we all knew and did nothing. NO ONE KNEW....we were allowed very little contact with all of his stepdaughters. Two of them were blood relations to us, two were their half sisters after their s**t of a mother was with some other man. This monster abused them all. He's now in jail, where he should have been 50 years ago. But kids, don't EVER assume people know of your troubles. ASK for help.
Kudos to this wonderful Police officer Gaetano Acerra for your gentle kindness toward this young man whose mother fell on hard tines. Hopefully this awesome act of kindness will keep this family together and Officer Acerra and Cameron will become life long friends. Cameron I know how awful it is to start the day with a back that hurts.
One kid happier, and possibly going to look at the police in a different way. You did your work properly, Mr. Acerra, Serve and protect!
I remember reading this story a while back. Probably more to it if he had nothing.Beautiful cop, I hope this boy is ok
No matter what anyone thinks, poverty cannot always be eliminated by pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. In fact, according to Aristotle, "Poverty is the parent of revolution & crime." If only more cops had the heart of this hero cop here.
If i had a room like that i would have been happier, actually i dont have a room lol
So heartwarming. Just shows how much my kids take for granted these days when this has probably changed this wee boys life immensely and make him so grateful for the kindness this officer has shown him.
He is a very altruistic officer that certainly didn't do it for the publicity. How stupid do they think we are. If he didn't do it for the publicity, we wouldn't even know about it.
I Love this police man! He is what all policemen should be (as so many are). God bless him 100 fold for his kindness. We need to hear more stories like this as opposed to the garbage the media loves to play up. Yes people, policemen are our friends!
Proud of u officer :) that just made me feel a lot better. :x u have put a smile on everybody's face. Just so u know. Kind of you.
I personally think it's c**p! The kid had nothing now he's got everything that makes a spoiled little brat. He does not need a tv in his room, he does not need a wii in his room and he damn sure doesn't need a queen size bed. That is a hell of a lot more than my kids have. Shoot, it's more than I have! This guy REALLY doesn't get it! Evidently, neither do the people posting here.
I see no problem sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I sleep on a Japanese futon which is basically just a mattress on the floor and it's really comfortable.
There is a difference Futons are soft and comfortable while deflated mattresses are just basically sleeping on nothing but a blanket & floor
Load More Replies...Those people who say stuff like "Thank God" as anything but a casual exclamation get on my tits.
From legalzoom.com (so I don't know how accurate it is, but it was at the top of my Google search): "Police officers can legally search an area and seize evidence if it is clearly visible. If the police see an illegal act occurring outside of your home, they may perform a search and seize evidence from your home without a search warrant."
Load More Replies...A delated air mattress is not dense. An air mattress is more like a plastic raft filled with air. If it's deflated, it's not very supportive for our bodies. It probably had a small hole in it. People use Air mattresses for camping and travel because they are very cheap and can become very compact. But a deflated air mattress is as good for your body as a deflated tire on a bicycle or car. It's probably better than nothing, but not much better.
Load More Replies...This story is 3 years old, but still a nice story. Would be better if you could tell us how the boy's doing now though. Is he still friends with the cop? Are things better for his mother now?
I am from India. Here, that'd be neat enough place for a 13 year old. At least he has a room! And, a bed like that would be considered luxurious! Perspective.
http://khon2.com/2014/05/14/officer-starts-non-profit-to-help-needy-children-after-photo-goes-viral/ The cop ended up starting a non profit to help others, and Cameron's family received more offers of assistance. Glad to see that, family caregivers sacrifice so much to help others.
I remember having a row with my mum when I was seven, and telling my Dad over the phone that I had decided to runaway,but seeing as we were never allowed to cross the road without an adult,I didn't get too far...Infact I think I walked six houses down,remembered mum was cooking roast chicken,then went off the whole idea! We receive so much negativety about the police,that it made a nice change to read a positive story.... I'm sure there are loads of kind acts carried out by our police all around the world,,but like any kind of good news,it never seems to reach our newspapers. It would be nice to read a follow up story on this just to find out how this young man is doing today..His nice bed and things must have meant so much to him and to know he went from sleeping virtually on the floor to a nice bed makes me smile. I hope both him and mum are now doing much better.
If people weren't so self absorbed, then there would be more people like that police officer. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Load More Replies...A very nice action from an individual but why the hell doesn't the mother get more support from the state?? Where are the support services for children that exist in some other countries?
Despite the lies you see and hear all over, she probably does not qualify for support. In doing social work, I saw it every day. I had a single father of three little kids, two of which were special needs on my caseload. He made $10 per hour. They approved him for a lousy $40 per month in food stamps, NO child care, no TANF, nothing. It makes me so mad when I hear folks complain about people on welfare because the reality is that it is HARD to get the support when you need it.
Load More Replies...He didn't do it for publicity, yet here we are, making it public... I love the story, but I think it'd be sweeter if it was kept a secret between the family and cop. Makes it a more special memory for them.
I wrote the same thing and got 32 downvotes. People love a cheesy story, I guess.
Load More Replies...What this police officer did, is something that we all should be doing. As human beings, it is our duty to help one another. Unfortunately, that's not the case. A lot of us are so self absorbed, that we forget that there are people out there that are far less fortunate than us. This is why, when a person talks to me about anything, I will give that person my full attention, even if they're a stranger. My reason for doing so, is simple. We never know how much a person is suffering, and we may be the only person who they've spoken to in weeks, months, or even years.
Me and my brother slept head to toe on a couch in the living room, in a 1 bedroom apartment. If we couldnt get home by the time the chain was on the door we had to find somewhere else to sleep. No one called d.s.s. because they didnt want us in the system. I grew up in Raleigh N.C. I feel like that was an fantastic thing to do but that money could've been donated to a numerous amount of charities that could of helped more than just one idividual that seemed like he really didn't have it that bad.
very sorry to hear about your story no child should be tteated like that :(
Load More Replies...Probably felt guilty for all the black kids he's already shot! Disgusting pigs!
Now if only we can multiply cops like him and take away the abusive a hole cops that end lives instead of care for lives. :/
do not let your kids to do a such thing like running from home and going to their friends houses or a random person house.
In Nigeria where I come from, that's one beauty of a place to wake up for most children.
May we never lose the hope that there are more good people than bad in this world. God bless you, Officer, for giving a helping hand.
lol who need a bed when you have a matrass isent that the sam s**t?
Where were social services? Why was it down to a police officer to spend his own money to help this child?
Good job. Keep the god bless c**p out of it. This is what we humans should do.. dont need a silly book to teach us that.. unless of course you're an a*****e. Agreed cops do get a bad rap these days.. great to see a positive story. Give us an update if you can. Great story!! Made my day..
Anyone notice the computer next to the deflated bed?!? Priorities.
Well done indeed. You know, all we ever hear about is the horrible things officers do. If the world heard far more about the GOOD things officers do, and they do good things all the time. You know, if the world knew more about kids dealing with things like this then other people CAN and WILL do things to help them. Many times no one helps because no one knows. Everyone tries to keep things hidden because they're ashamed. About 10 to 15 years ago my mom and I discovered that her niece, my 1st cousin, had been sexually molested all the time by a stepfather. She thought we all knew and did nothing. NO ONE KNEW....we were allowed very little contact with all of his stepdaughters. Two of them were blood relations to us, two were their half sisters after their s**t of a mother was with some other man. This monster abused them all. He's now in jail, where he should have been 50 years ago. But kids, don't EVER assume people know of your troubles. ASK for help.
Kudos to this wonderful Police officer Gaetano Acerra for your gentle kindness toward this young man whose mother fell on hard tines. Hopefully this awesome act of kindness will keep this family together and Officer Acerra and Cameron will become life long friends. Cameron I know how awful it is to start the day with a back that hurts.
One kid happier, and possibly going to look at the police in a different way. You did your work properly, Mr. Acerra, Serve and protect!
I remember reading this story a while back. Probably more to it if he had nothing.Beautiful cop, I hope this boy is ok
No matter what anyone thinks, poverty cannot always be eliminated by pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. In fact, according to Aristotle, "Poverty is the parent of revolution & crime." If only more cops had the heart of this hero cop here.
If i had a room like that i would have been happier, actually i dont have a room lol
So heartwarming. Just shows how much my kids take for granted these days when this has probably changed this wee boys life immensely and make him so grateful for the kindness this officer has shown him.
He is a very altruistic officer that certainly didn't do it for the publicity. How stupid do they think we are. If he didn't do it for the publicity, we wouldn't even know about it.
I Love this police man! He is what all policemen should be (as so many are). God bless him 100 fold for his kindness. We need to hear more stories like this as opposed to the garbage the media loves to play up. Yes people, policemen are our friends!
Proud of u officer :) that just made me feel a lot better. :x u have put a smile on everybody's face. Just so u know. Kind of you.
I personally think it's c**p! The kid had nothing now he's got everything that makes a spoiled little brat. He does not need a tv in his room, he does not need a wii in his room and he damn sure doesn't need a queen size bed. That is a hell of a lot more than my kids have. Shoot, it's more than I have! This guy REALLY doesn't get it! Evidently, neither do the people posting here.
I see no problem sleeping on a mattress on the floor. I sleep on a Japanese futon which is basically just a mattress on the floor and it's really comfortable.
There is a difference Futons are soft and comfortable while deflated mattresses are just basically sleeping on nothing but a blanket & floor
Load More Replies...Those people who say stuff like "Thank God" as anything but a casual exclamation get on my tits.
From legalzoom.com (so I don't know how accurate it is, but it was at the top of my Google search): "Police officers can legally search an area and seize evidence if it is clearly visible. If the police see an illegal act occurring outside of your home, they may perform a search and seize evidence from your home without a search warrant."
Load More Replies...A delated air mattress is not dense. An air mattress is more like a plastic raft filled with air. If it's deflated, it's not very supportive for our bodies. It probably had a small hole in it. People use Air mattresses for camping and travel because they are very cheap and can become very compact. But a deflated air mattress is as good for your body as a deflated tire on a bicycle or car. It's probably better than nothing, but not much better.
Load More Replies...
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