Ansonia Police Officer Michael Castillo is getting national attention after a citizen spotted him giving a group of kids some help last week.
Last week Faith Bisson Taylor spotted Castillo helping a child fix his bike in front of the Target on West Main Street and snapped a picture she posted to the police department’s Facebook page.
As of Aug. 4 the photo has been liked by nearly 1,400 people and shared 394 times.
On Monday (Aug. 3) Castillo was a guest of the “Fox and Friends” show in New York City.
Castillo related the episode, which occurred when he was on routine patrol.
“I untwisted the chain, (and) tightened up the back tire a bit so it stayed on the sprocket,” he said.
Posted by Valley Independent Sentinel on Tuesday, 28 July 2015
He said he had no idea anyone was taking a picture at the time — or that he’d soon become an Internet sensation.
“I just went about my day,” he said.
About three hours later, he got a text from an officer in another town saying “You’re all over Facebook.”
Castillo told the Fox Friends his heart stopped for a second.
“I’m like ‘Why?’” he recalled.
But when he saw the reason — and the outpouring of praise he’s received in the days since — he said he was glad.
“It’s pretty cool,” Castillo said.
The cop said officers are doing things like that every day.
“This is something that not only I have done,” he said. “There’s officers doing it everywhere. To be under the microscope like that for a good thing is great.”
In April a Bridgeport cop was praised after a similar incident at the Trumbull Gardens housing complex.
