COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A TikTok video of a Coeur d’Alene police officer helping a homeowner secure packages that were left on his front porch while he was gone is going viral.
The video shows Patrol Officer Amy Niska talking with a man over his Ring camera about the packages on his porch.
"I was like, 'Oh, geez,' I don't know if my house burned down, I don't know what's going on," Homeowner Wes Bradshaw said. "I was worried at first, you know, police officers there at the front door."
In the middle of the moving process and hours away from his new home, Bradshaw got a virtual knock on the door in the middle of the night.
Niska explained there had been package thefts in the area and wanted to let the man know.
"I patrolled by and saw a bunch of packages stacked on the doorstep and decided I didn't want the packages to get ripped off," Niska told KREM 2 News.
Bradshaw's Christmas gifts had arrived on his porch before he was able to move in. Niska has seen auto burglaries and thefts picking up as the holiday season is approaching, so she agreed to secure the boxes in a different location.
“I’d rather see your stuff safe and secure then not,” Niska said in the video.
Bradshaw then thanked Niska for her help. He posted the video and used the hashtag #thecopwhosavedchristmas.
"I obviously didn't expect that, I mean that's just going above and beyond," he added. "It's a real example and I hope other people can follow on how to treat your neighbors."
The video was posted on TikTok on Dec. 12. The post has over 1 million likes, over 7,000 comments and over 4,000 shares as of Saturday evening.
According to Coeur d’Alene police, Niska was actually in the neighborhood investigating package thefts when she saw the boxes on the man’s front porch.
"Christmas is a time to lift people's spirits and there's nothing worse than having your Christmas gifts ripped off and not being able to provide your friends and families with what you worked hard for," she added.
So not only did Officer Niska save Bradshaw and his family's Christmas, she also gave a great welcome to his new neighborhood.
"It's just lucky that she came along and took care of me," he said. "That was awesome and I'm so sure my kids will be happy to have a Christmas."
“This serves as a good reminder to be vigilant is preventing mail and package theft, especially during the holiday season,” Coeur d’Alene police wrote in a Facebook post.