Officers, hotel workers pay it forward to 92-year-old WWII veteran

ROBBINSVILLE, N.J. (WPVI) -- When a World War II veteran took a wrong turn and found himself alone and lost in a small New Jersey town at night, some everyday heroes came to the rescue of the elderly war hero.

92-year-old vet Oscar Ehrhart made a wrong turn after leaving his home in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania on his way to his local American Legion meeting.

Somehow, he ended up lost 200 miles away in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

It was dark and he found himself stopping in someone's driveway for help.

Oscar asked the homeowners if he could sleep there in his car overnight because he's not the best driver in the dark.

After speaking with the vet, the couple offered to have him sleep in their guest room, but he declined.

So the couple called Robbinsville police and spoke to Sergeant Thomas Egan.

Sgt. Egan offered to make Oscar a reservation at the Hampton Inn and Suites and even gave him a ride to the hotel himself.

The hotel receptionist, Nicole, told her manager, Carmen, about the officer's plan to pay for the room out of pocket and took it one step further - paying it forward once again and comping Oscar's room.

"I was speechless. I mean you hear all of this negative stuff about police officers and it's - it was heart warming, it was touching. You know, you don't expect that. You expect, ok the officers are doing their job. They're getting the person to where they need to be and they're on their way but these officers went above and beyond," said Nicole.

To top it off, the room was the last available that night at the hotel.

Sgt. Egan says they thanked Oscar for his service and with a tear in his eye he added it was a night he would never forget and one of the most rewarding shifts of his career.

Nicole says this story is a reminder of the good of officers who go beyond the call of duty and the kindness her manager showed on the spot.

Sgt. Egan tells Action News that spoke with Oscar on Sunday and he is safe and sound. Oscar says he will never forget the kindness from the officers and the hotel team.

So far, the post about Oscar's heartwarming story has been viewed more than 4 million times and with 20,000 Action News viewers and counting sharing the positive news with others.