The gesture was relatively small, but it was meaningful.
EDISON -- The gesture was relatively small -- a pair of sneakers and a T-shirt. But for a woman who lost everything in a fire at their Linden apartment, the sports apparel that two off-duty Edison cops bought her 10-year-old son made a big difference as they continue to recover from a personal disaster.
Officers Donald Ship and Matthew Mieczkowski were working part-time jobs at the Menlo Park Mall, walking by Foot Locker, when they heard about Sarah Ruddy's troubles. Ruddy works at Havana Central, a restaurant at the mall, so word had gotten around about the blaze.
When the fire broke out in March, Ruddy was in Washington, D.C. with her boyfriend, a Union County corrections officer. Authorities were able to identify whose apartment it was because her boyfriend's uniform, along with all the rest of their clothes, went up in flames.
Ship and Mieczkowski met Ruddy at the mall a few days later after they'd found out about the fire. They asked for her son Jaden's shoe and shirt size. Then they went to another store in the mall and bought him a new pair of Nikes and a Knicks T-shirt.
"We just wanted to help someone in need," said Mieczkowski, a rookie officer who is the son of the department's deputy chief.
Said Ship, a five-year veteran: "I work with 183 other good men and women. This is what we stand for at the Edison Police Department."
Jaden was thrilled, Ruddy said. He's always looked up to law enforcement officers, she said, so this confirmed his opinion -- and his desire to be an officer himself when he grows up.
"It's a perfect example of police officers doing good, all the time, in the community," said Ruddy, who grew up in Metuchen and is now staying with relatives in the area.
The gifts, bought with personal funds, were also practical. Right now, it's Jaden's only pair of shoes, Ruddy said. Her twin brother launched a GoFundMe page to help the family recover, and it has raised more than $7,000, much of it coming from the local law enforcement community.
Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan lauded his officers.
"The compassion that Officers Ship and Mieczkowski demonstrated for Sarah Ruddy and her son is, in itself, very admirable," Bryan said in a statement. And "changing people's perceptions, and altering their misconceptions, goes hand-in-hand with good, community-oriented police work."
Brian Amaral may be reached at bamaral@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @bamaral44. Find NJ.com on Facebook.