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Startled and shocked, Lopez lost control of the scooter, hit a curb and toppled over. The front wheel of the scooter was broken and Lopez’s knee was bruised.
He limped the scooter over to his job and worked the entire shift -- in pain, worried about how he would get himself to and from work and how much money the repairs would cost.
Lopez’s case hit home for the Paramus police detective assigned to it, Mark Pinajian.
“Eric is a super nice, respectful kid,” said Pinajian, the president of Paramus PBA 186. “I felt bad that this happened.”
So, Pinajian took action. He asked the the PBA's executive board members if they might be open to donating funds toward repairing Lopez's scooter.
Well, last week, the officers returned Lopez's scooter to him -- all fixed.
"It made us feel really great being that this is the season of giving and that this gesture would go a long way for him," Pinajian said. "Eric was so grateful and appreciative, which made this whole thing thing that much more special.
"Although we like to believe the universe protects good people from bad things, it’s certainly not always the case. Sometimes we as humans need to step up and make it happen."
"I could not be more proud of our officers," Paramus Deputy Chief Rob Guidetti said. "They always take the initiative and put our community first. This time with the help of our police union they were able to repair the scooter."
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