Penn. Cop Picks Up Meal Tab for Elderly Man who Couldn't Pay

A Swatara Township police officer is getting praise Wednesday for his handling of a situation at a diner where an elderly customer couldn’t pay for his breakfast.

The man, in his 80s, was having difficulty accessing his money from his credit or debit card, and he didn’t know what to do. So he called police.

Officer Anthony Glass showed up about 8:20 a.m., sat down with the man in a booth and quietly paid for the tab.

The elderly man, who used a walker, asked for the officer’s contact information so he could repay him, according to Jason Bias, another customer in the Capitol Diner, at 800 Eisenhower Boulevard.

“No way,” the officer responded, according to Bias. “I got you covered.”

The act of kindness made Bias “feel all warm and fuzzy,” so he posted about it on Facebook. The post was shared more than 1,300 times. It also prompted more than 200 comments. Some commenters thought the diner called police on the elderly man and were upset.

But that’s a misunderstanding, said Police Chief Darrell Reider, who confirmed the elderly man called for help because he was getting rattled about the situation.

“He was confused, but had the wherewithal to call for assistance,” Reider said. “And I am very proud of the way Officer Glass handled the call.”

Bias said he posted a photo of the interaction on social media because he knows police do kind acts every day and they often aren’t shared as widely as viral videos of police officers caught in bad acts.

“You don’t really hear about the good they do,” he said. “I really think they deserve to be recognized when they do good deeds.”

Officer Glass has been working in Swatara Township for four years, Reider said.

“He’s a great police officer,” Reider said. “He’s very compassionate, as are all of our officers. I’m proud of his actions this morning.”

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