Syracuse Cop's Kindness Goes National on CBS This Week

Officer Jamie Pastorello wasn't looking for headlines when he pulled over on that freezing Syracuse day. He just saw a woman struggling up a hill with groceries and offered her a ride.

That woman was Rhea Holmes, who had been sleeping under a tarp on her husband's grave at Oakwood Cemetery after losing both her home and ID. One question from Pastorello changed everything.

The story quickly spread across Central New York, and the community response was immediate. Le Moyne College provided temporary shelter while a local nonprofit worked to find her something permanent.

Less than a month after that first ride, Rhea moved into a tiny home of her own. A safe place. A stable place. A fresh start sparked by one officer who chose to stop.

Now that moment of kindness is reaching millions. This Friday, January 23 at 6:30 PM, CBS Evening News correspondent Steve Hartman will feature Pastorello and Rhea on his "On The Road" segment.

The piece will showcase the bond between the officer and the woman he helped, proving that sometimes the simplest gestures create the biggest ripples.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story shine isn't just that Officer Pastorello stopped to help. It's that he saw Rhea as a person worth his time, not a problem to drive past. In a world that often looks away from struggle, he looked directly at it and asked what he could do.

The national spotlight matters because stories like this remind us what's possible when we choose compassion. Pastorello didn't solve homelessness or fix a broken system, but he did something arguably more powerful: he showed one woman that she mattered.

And when the community saw that example, they followed it. College administrators, nonprofit workers, and everyday neighbors all stepped up because one police officer showed them the way.

Rhea now has keys to her own front door, and millions will soon hear how she got them.