What to Know
- An Arizona boy with a life-threatening illness was treated to a day out in New York by the NYPD.
- Officers from NYPD Brooklyn North precinct got to know Jacob Priestley, 14, when they send him boxes of cards for his birthday.
- On Tuesday, Priestley and his family were flown to New York, where they had a VIP tour of the city.
An Arizona boy battling a terminal illness was flown to New York for a VIP tour of the city -- courtesy of the NYPD.
On Tuesday, Jacob Priestley, 14, was flown to New York City and given a very special tour of the city, spanning from Radio City Music Hall to the NYPD station in Brooklyn North.
The heartwarming story began in August, when an internet post from Jacob caught the attention of officers in the NYPD Patrol Borough Brooklyn North.
Jacob suffers from mitochondrial disease, an illness that robs him of energy and causes organ failure.
With his 14th birthday approaching in August, he had sent out a post asking whether people could send birthday cards to cheer him up: 10,000 birthday cards at that.
To his surprise, officers from NYPD Brooklyn North saw the post, and quickly mobilized, collecting as many cards as they could and sending them off to him in boxes.
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But the generosity didn't stop there. NYPD officers decided they wanted to do something else for the teenager.
So on Tuesday, Jacob and his family were flown to the Big Apple for a whirlwind tour.
The morning saw them whisked to Radio City Music Hall, where the teenager carried holy water for Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
Dolan was there to bless the animals for the Christmas show.
Jacob then received a special proclamation from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and dropped in for a surprise visit to the Barclays Center.
