Stranger’s random act of kindness reaps plaudits from B.C. transit police

VANCOUVER – A stranger who gave his coat to a young woman dressed only in a T-shirt and pyjama pants in sub-zero temperatures is being lauded for his anonymous act of kindness by transit police in Vancouver.

The agency says transit officers came across the young woman outside a downtown Vancouver SkyTrain station on Dec. 1 with a hospital identification bracelet around her wrist in temperatures of -3 C.

The woman said she been released from hospital after a drug overdose and was heading home.

The stranger, an unidentified male flight attendant passing by on his way to the airport, donated his jacket to the woman.

Transit police say he asked the woman’s permission before helping her put the coat on, then continued to the station.

Doug LePard, head of the transit police, says in a statement that sometimes the greatest form of kindness is the kindness that comes from strangers.