A mother’s encounter with a Mesquite Police Officer changed the course of her day and left a lasting impression on her family. Nashua Top didn’t expect the encounter to end the way it did.
“We were stranded on the side of the road for about 30 minutes,” said Top. “There was no A/C. Six small children.”
Top said she didn’t know what to think when Officer Troy Burke walked up to the car where she was stuck in Texas summer heat with her six small children. To her surprise, officer Burke came back to the car with $100. Top, overwhelmed with gratitude, started filming.
Officer Burke said he simply did what he felt was right.
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“I can’t tell you what made me do what I did,” he said. “I never have cash on me, and something just told me, hey help them out, you know.”
He didn’t know at the time exactly how much it would mean to this family.
“He fed us that night,” said Top. “We were a starving family and he fed us.”
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Burke, a father himself, said he believes this encounter was supposed to happen.
“Everything’s meant to happen for a reason, and I believe that she was put there for a reason more to help me,” he said.
He’d been at a crossroads, debating whether he wanted to continue his career in law enforcement.
“So, I guess her being there told me there’s still some work to be done,” said Burke. “I definitely got more out of it than she did. She was there when I needed her.”
And to officer Burke, Top had this message.
“You’re leading the way for what officers are supposed to be even if we see the negative all the time,” she said. “You’re a good example of what police are supposed to be.”
