Mariska Hargitay, the actor known for portraying Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, has saved the day. This week, while filming on location in New York, a child who was separated from their mother mistook the actor for a real-life cop, and asked her for help.
According to a witness who spoke with People, the child was lost in Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan, and approached Hargitay for help based on the police badge she wore for her character’s outfit, oblivious to the film crew and Hargitay’s co-star, Ice-T.
Rising to the moment, Hargarity halted production for 20 minutes in order to help locate the mother. After the two were reunited, she was seen comforting the duo in a heart-warming moment. Check out the photos below.
All this happened while Hargitay and the Law & Order crew were filming some of the final episodes for the show’s 25th season, which premiered this past January. The episodes air at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC, with the season finale scheduled for May 16th.
Earlier this year, Hargitay was honored with a special immersive exhibit at New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza dedicated to the world of Law & Order: SVU. In celebration of the show’s 25th season, the famous plaza was even renamed the Olivia Benson Plaza for 48 hours.
All of the recognition — literally and figuratively — is appropriate for Hargitay. With the arrival of Law & Order: SVU’s 25th season, she has become the longest-running female actress on primetime television, with 543 episodes under her belt.
Mariska Hargitay taking a break from filming Law and Order: SVU to help a child at the Fort Tryon Playground, photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images
Mariska Hargitay taking a break from filming Law and Order: SVU to help a child at the Fort Tryon Playground, photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images