MARICOPA — An ordinary trip to run errands turned into an unexpected act of kindness for an 18-year-old in Maricopa.
Jordan was driving along John Wayne Parkway on Monday when he noticed an older man trying to cross the street in a pair of shoes that were barely holding together.
Jordan stopped his car and got out to help.
The aspiring PC builder took the size 13 Nike slides off his own feet and gave them to the man using a walker to cross the busy street.
Part of the interaction was caught on camera outside a drug store.
ABC15 spoke with Yareli Madrid, the woman who took the video from the drug store parking lot, not knowing it would be celebrated on a City of Maricopa social media page.
“He was confused because, it’s out of the normal,” Jordan said.
But the act of kindness didn't stop with a pair of shoes.
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Jordan said he felt another “tug” to follow the man into the drug store. He helped him get his prescription, bought the man some of his favorite candy, peanut M&Ms, and called a rideshare to get him home.
Jordan then followed the ride back to the man's house to make sure he got inside safely.
That's when Jordan learned the 80-year-old had recently lost his wife — just two weeks earlier.
The man was dealing with grief and loneliness, and Jordan said he realized there was more to the situation than what he initially saw on the street.
“I felt God speak to me to do something nice for someone else,” Jordan said. “You don't know what they're going through. I didn't know he lost his wife, or that he has pain in his legs, or he needed new shoes.”
Jordan said he believes that feeling was a nudge to do something kind for someone else.
ABC15 spoke with the man by phone. He did not want to participate in the story, but said he struggles with asking for help and was baffled by Jordan's unexpected kindness.
He said he was grateful to have made a new friend during such a difficult time.
The two now plan to stay in touch, and Jordan said they may even attend church together in the future.
For Jordan, who recently graduated high school, the experience was a reminder that a small act of kindness can mean much more than you realize.
“Just being kind to someone can go a long way,” Jordan said. “You never know what someone is going through.”
And perhaps fittingly, the teen who stopped to help a stranger has the last name Hope.
The soon-to-be food server started a crowdfunding account for the gentleman in hopes to make life easier as he navigates life after the passing of his wife.
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