Acerra listened, not as a cop, but as a human being. “My heart went out to him,” Acerra later said. “He wasn’t asking for much—just comfort and dignity.” Days later, Acerra returned—not with questions, but with a truck full of gifts: a real bed, a desk, a chair, even a TV and a Wii.

The boy’s disbelief melted into a smile that lit the room, turning his space from cold to comforting. “I didn’t do it for attention,” Acerra explained. “I did it because I could. Because it was the right thing.”