Eight-year-old Jesse Wieber has a deep admiration for law enforcement officers.
“I’ve loved them for a really long time because they fight crime and they beat up the bad guys,” he said.
Wieber, who has autism, saved up his tooth fairy money, and this Christmas, he wanted to show his heroes some appreciation.
He bought his dad and big brother gifts for under the tree. Wieber spent his money on others, including a total stranger.
“I had enough to get a police officer a gift for Christmas,” Wieber said. “They work really hard, and they do a lot of really good stuff for us.”
His mom called dispatch Christmas Day, and they waited in anticipation.
“Merry Christmas. I want to give you this as a present,” the boy said on a cellphone video.
“Why, I appreciate it, thank you,” an officer said.
Bartlett police Officer Matt Weibel got the call.
“That’s awesome,” Weibel said in a cellphone video. “I appreciate you, man. I’ve got some kids that would love to play with that.”
"Do you know it's not very common to find an 8-year-old boy who gets money that they can spend on anything that they want, and they go and buy presents for other people?" Wieber asked WHBQ. "I don't think that's common."
Wieber’s mom loves how her son cares for officers.
“Nowadays, there are a lot of people that are negative on police officers,” said Janie Wieber, the mother. “I don’t want my kids growing up hearing of that. I want them to judge for themselves. I love that he loves law enforcement and firefighters. We are proud. We are really proud about it.”
The 8-year-old even got to sit in a police cruiser and said the experience was awesome.
The aspiring officer even got to flip the blue lights on.
In return, he got a friend for life.
“I like doing stuff for other people,” he said. “It makes me feel really good.”
Jesse's mom shared the video on Facebook. It now has more than 4,000 views.
About the Author