Top 10 Random Acts of Kindness Caught on Video

The police are tasked with serving and protecting their community, and one New York officer took this responsibility to new, inspiring heights. It was a freezing night in November 2012 when NYPD officer Lawrence DePrimo noticed an elderly man who wasn’t wearing any shoes. Rather than go his own way, DePrimo entered a nearby shoe store and bought a pair of all-weather boots and socks for the man. Even more heartwarming, he knelt down and helped him put the shoes on. Unbeknownst to DePrimo, a tourist from Arizona captured the moment on her phone, and it eventually made its way to the NYPD’s Facebook page. The post received thousands of comments, praising DePrimo for his compassion and selflessness.

When a pregnant woman boards a crowded train or bus, it’s sort of an unspoken rule for someone to offer her their seat, to ease her burden. But that rule didn’t seem to apply to the passengers on this train in Malaysia. As a visibly pregnant woman entered the coach, most people who noticed her chose to ignore and look away. To her surprise, it was a bespectacled young boy who stood up and offered his seat to her. This heartwarming gesture only goes to show that the younger generation still has many noble individuals, despite what many might think.

In these challenging economic times, a simple gesture like helping to pay for someone’s groceries can mean the world to them. In 2015, shoppers at a local Kroger store in Cincinnati, Ohio experienced the joy of giving when two men walked around, paying their bills without asking any questions. Customers’ reactions ranged from happiness to shock, to some even being moved to tears. The men in this case were Mike Lewis and Rob Westerman, two local pastors who set out to put smiles on people’s faces, and demonstrate to their community that “anyone can perform a random act of kindness.”

When San Diego teen Adrian Rodriguez found a purse in a shopping cart at the grocery store, he knew he had to return it to its owner. Using the driver’s license inside, Rodriguez went to the listed address and rang the doorbell. Though the owner of the purse, Eliana Martin, no longer lived there, he dropped it off with a relative of her former roommate and went about his day. Rodriguez’s thoughtful gesture touched the women so deeply, they decided to find him and thank him properly. By sharing the security camera footage of Rodriguez returning the purse on social media, they eventually tracked him down, and managed to raise over $3000 to reward him for his kindness.

Every parent’s worst nightmare is losing track of their kids. For one family in Cypress, Texas, this nightmare seemed to be coming true when their son, Colton, didn’t get off the bus one day in November 2020. While his parents drove frantically looking for him, they received an alert from their Ring doorbell camera about activity on their doorstep. The footage showed a kind stranger bringing Colton to the front door and ringing the bell. It turned out Colton had been dropped off at the wrong bus stop and was found wandering by the woman, later identified as Kim. Using the address on a sticker on his shirt, Kim took him safely home, bringing immense relief to his family.

In February 2019, Florida police officer Kenesha Carnegie witnessed a touching moment she knew had to be shared. At a gas station in Bronson, three young men noticed an elderly couple struggling to get into their car. The men, a group of local rappers known as Joc Koe Stoe, Marty and Freddy G, didn’t even need to be asked. They rushed to the couple’s side without hesitation and offered their help. Carnegie, who was moved by the scene, whipped out her phone and began recording. The video soon went viral on social media, amassing millions of views and thousands of comments praising the men for demonstrating the inherent kindness of humanity.

Virginia high school senior Sepp Shirey set a personal record in 2017 by running 80 yards unassisted to score an incredibly emotional touchdown. Born with cerebral palsy, Shirey always loved football and was determined to play. During a game against a rival school, he took the snap and ran across the open field. Remarkably, his entire team as well as the opponents rallied behind him, clapping and cheering him on as he made the entire 80-yard run, before collapsing into the end zone. It was Shirey’s first touchdown and the farthest he had ever run unassisted, making it a truly uplifting and unforgettable moment.

Sometimes, the greatest help comes not from the people you know, but from complete strangers. This was the case for a mother of two in Dallas, Texas, who experienced an act of kindness that left her speechless. Reportedly struggling to pay her bills, the woman decided to sell a precious gold necklace passed down from her mother. After sharing her story with the jeweler, he refused to buy the necklace. Instead, he gifted her the exact amount she had asked for. This overwhelmed her with emotion. The jeweler, who had fled the civil war in Syria and moved to the U.S., saw this as a way to pay forward the help he had received when he needed it the most.

Daniel Mulligan, a young boy with autism living in Ojai, California, transformed his fear of garbage trucks into a deep fascination. Every Monday morning, he would stand outside his home, excitedly watching the garbage cans being picked up and emptied. One day in 2014, while Daniel’s mom was filming, the garbage man, Manuel Sanchez, asked if he could give him a present. Knowing how much the boy had grown to love their trucks, Sanchez walked over and handed him a bag with a plastic toy replica inside. The simple gesture clearly made Daniel’s day, and managed to melt hearts all around the world.

When Canadian mother Shannon St. Onge found herself stranded during a severe snowstorm, it was the actions of an elderly man that saved her life. St. Onge was driving home from her office in Pense, Saskatchewan when she got caught up in a blizzard that made it impossible to see through her windshield. Unable to reach the police, she posted a distress message on Facebook. This message reached 80-year-old André Bouvier, who lived on a nearby farm. Bouvier braved the heavy storm and came out on foot to guide St. Onge and other stranded drivers to his house. His selfless actions that night made him a national hero and allowed St. Onge to return safely to her family the following day.

Have you ever been the recipient of a random act of kindness? Narrate your experience in the comments below.