The Police Officer Stopped This Man’s Car, What Happened Next Is Unexpected

He was concerned about his own life when something surprising happened. He saw the cop’s car tailing him! If something like this happens, it’s normal to worry about it. What could be causing a problem?

Panic-inducing

Nothing is worse than looking in your rearview mirror to see a police car tailing you. The feeling you’re about to get out of your car and get a terrifying, expensive ticket. But it happens far too often and drivers are sometimes stopped due not only to speeding.

Special Case

Most of the time, we panic right away because we’re expecting a ticket. We do everything we can to avoid situations such as this one, but sometimes we get pulled over for different reasons. What happened to William Jazwinski is exactly that.

He Got Pulled Over

When William was pulled over by a police officer, he was just on a casual trip around the town. So he was very confused, this young man had no idea he was doing something wrong.

Shaking In His Boots

He was always a good driver with no history of tickets or accidents. He couldn’t figure out why he had been stopped. He could never have expected the next thing to happen when the cop left his vehicle.

Not Normal

A Cop Car

He saw flashing lights of red, white, and black through his rearview mirror. When the classic police siren began to wail, his suspicions had been confirmed. William knew exactly what this meant.

What’s To Come

His heart was racing, and his mind was going through a million questions. Nothing made any sense to him, though, and he did not understand why he was being pulled over. When the police offer went to his window, as he was trying to calm down.

Being Patient

He couldn’t help but feel confused. Anyway, he knew he wasn’t doing anything illegal or speeding. But even after that, listening to what the cop had to say was the only thing he could do.

The Waiting Game

To him, it made no sense. William has never been pulled over like that before. Why did that policeman pull him over? He was frustrated with what was going on, as he was a law-abiding citizen.

Getting Nervous

There was no way that he would not follow the cop’s orders. He pulled over to the side and waited for the cop had to say to him. It felt like a lifetime of waiting for the cop to finally come up to him.

Asking The Question

He was approached by the cop, so he opened the window, and greeted the officer. The young man asked why he had been pulled over and wondered if he was speeding without noticing it. “Good morning officer, was I speeding?” he said.

No Disrespect

He did his best not to disrespect the offer made by the police, as he was a figure. He didn’t want any problem, but he didn’t know why he was being pulled over. He continued with his question in a calm and polite tone.

What’s The HoldUp

Again, it felt like an eternity had passed before the cop responded. He seemed to have taken his time, and he wasn’t in a hurry to reply. What was that he was saying?

Nothing Wrong

When William heard a cop say that he was going to get a ticket, he was very surprised. To be fair, he was never really. “Good morning,” the policeman said. “No, not speeding.”

Uncomfortable

If anything, the cop told him that he wasn’t pulled over for any specific reason. This made William feel even more lost, and an awkward silence began to surface between the two men.

What Could It Be

If for a certain reason he wasn’t pulled over then why he was pulled over. William was a bit scared and nervous. There was a reason for the police officer to stop him in the middle of the afternoon.

An Unexpected Outing

William was hesitantly waiting for what the cop had to say. He was confused and patient, but the officer finally told him something that had taken him by surprise. He certainly did not expect that!

Just Thanking Him

Turns out the cop just pulled him over because he had something he wanted to say to William. “I just wanted to stop you and say thank you for the service,” the cop explained.

How Did He Know?

What kind of service did the officer thank William anyway? What’s more, how did he know that the young man had ever done this kind of service? William had started to get very confused already.

Did They Know Each Other?

The random cop he was sure he had never met before, shocked this young man more than anything. Or have they met up in the past, and he just can’t remember? Well, that’s not the case here.

His Bumper Sticker

William eventually realized why the officer was aware of the fact. At the moment, he forgot the bumper sticker on the back of the pickup truck. Anyone who saw this would know that he had served in the army in the past.

A Symbol

Army veterans often put stickers on their cars. It is common for  William that another driver might wave his hand or honk their horn to thank you for his service. But William had never been stopped by a policeman before.

Not Over

He warmly thanked the officer when he realized this.  “Oooh the bumper sticker, nice. You’re welcome sir,” he said. “My pleasure.” However, this did not mark the end of their encounter. Very much the opposite, for him it was only the beginning.

Just The Beginning

William was ready to put an end to the conversation when the police officer did not let him go.  He never saw it coming, nor did we. But what happened next was a beautiful moment that these two had exchanged.

A Few Questions

However, the officer did not let William go yet. For the young veteran, he still had a few questions. The cop wanted to know, in particular, where he was posted. The officer went to ask, “Where did you serve?”

Something Seems Fishy

William couldn’t help but feel sceptical about what was going on at first. He couldn’t tell if it was the job of a police officer to ask him about his military service. Did he answer, though?

About His Service

In the end, by telling him that he was a heavy-wheeled vehicle operator and had just returned from a country in the Middle East, he gave the cop the answer to the question.

Wants To Move On

“I went to Iraq,” he said. “Did a 15 monther out of Fort Benning.” He just wanted to go on with his civilian life, so he didn’t expect to be pulled over for his time in the army.

Not Making Sense

But the cop had a reason to be curious about his time in Iraq. William had no idea why this cop was asking him so many questions about his time in the army and made him nervous.

His Own Motive

It seemed that the police officer was just interested in his service, but he didn’t really understand why he had to stop him while he was on his way. In fact, however, the cop had quite different motives.

Like His Son

Then the police officer told William that he had a son, who also served there recently. “Well, alright. My son went to Iraq,” the cop said. And that’s why he pulled this young man over.

 Seeing Things Differently

He just wanted to know more about someone who had gone through the same things as his son did. Shortly afterward, he gave more information about his son’s time in Iraq. It brought William to see things from a different perspective.

Change Of Heart

Certainly, William no longer felt confused or frightened. If anything, he understood the man. He had just finished the PTSD program, but it was still new for him to talk about the experiences he had gone through in the war.

He Died There

The conversation took a shocking turn afterwards. William was genuinely stunned by what the cop had to say next. He thought he had it all figured out, and then he got some unexpected news. Let’s just say he didn’t expect that to happen when he woke up that morning.

Speechless

He passed away while on duty. “He didn’t make it home,”  the officer told the young man. He was clearly struggling to get those words out of his mouth. It was so tragic it has broken the heart of William. The only thing he could possibly do was listen.

My Condolences

For the cop, William could not help but feel awful. He thought of the cop who lost his son in Iraq while he was out here enjoying his normal life right after coming back.

Noticed Something

The veteran could not do much more than express his care and concern for the grieving father. “Man, I’m so sorry to hear that,” he said to the older man. The cop then regained his composure and almost let William go when he saw something on the dashboard.

His Folded Flag

When the cop lifted his head and almost let the young man go, he saw something strange on the dashboard of his car. It was a US flag that was deliberately folded.

Significance

Throughout most of the US military funeral, the American flag is lowered and folded 13 times into a triangle to represent the lost lives of served soldiers. The flag is folded 13 times, each fold signifying something different.

Caught His Eye

The cop said, “I see you have a flag in the truck.” He folded the flag in an army custom to honor the fallen soldiers who fought for the country. What was the flag that got the attention of this police officer?

Just Like That

As soon as he saw the folded-up flag on the dashboard, he thought of the same folded flag he had at home. It was given to him by the army in memory of his son.

He Has The Same One

“The one we got for him! Well it’s at the house,” said the cop. The older man asked William for a favor. “Can I ask a question?” William did not hesitate to obey.  He was taken by surprise at this question.

Out For A Spin

William woke up early that beautiful morning in the spring and decided to drive out his pickup truck wherever. It was his day off, so he could do whatever he wanted to do that day.

Day Ruined

He liked the idea of going down a quiet street without traffic in New York City to hold him back. And it was then that he glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the cop car on his tail.

Asking For A Hug

The police officer nervously asked the veteran to step out of the pick-up truck and embrace him right then and there!  “Do you mind stepping out and receiving a hug?” asked the sad police officer.

Knew He Was Upset

At first, William was surprised by this request. Then again, it’s not every day that you get pulled over by a police officer who asks you to hug them. He could tell, though, that the cop was still upset.

Couldn’t Say No

However, this was not a regular situation. The police officer burst in tears after asking this question and told him something that affected him. William was left with no choice in the matter.

The Reason Why

Tears began falling down on the face of the cop while he bared his soul to the young man. The cop then explained to William that he got pulled over because there were similarities between the veteran and his son.

A Constant Reminder

“You remind me of my son. I pulled you over,” this cop said. “Thought you were him. I still don’t believe it most days he’s gone.” The only thing that William had to do was to oblige the request and hug the poor man.

A Warm Embrace

William also could not hold back his tears. He opened his arms as he got out of the vehicle and “hugged that man.” Then he said, “With tears in both our eyes I got out and hugged that man.”