Pizza Party For South Brunswick Teens Who Were Kind To Boy

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — These days, just being kind to another person is enough to get you featured on the national news! And given a pizza party from your local police department.

Yes, the local South Brunswick teenagers who were featured on CBS News Sunday Morning after they were particularly kind to a little boy with autism were rewarded with a pizza party Wednesday afternoon. Carter, the five-year-old boy, and his mom, Kristen Braconi, were there, also.

The older students all attend Crossroads North Middle School and that's where the pizza party was held. Carter goes to Monmouth Junction school. All the kids were given honorary police badges and police apparel Wednesday, and Carter has not stopped writing tickets with his police notebook, his mom said.

One of the older teens stands out in particular: Gavin Mabes, 13 years old. He was the first one to be kind to Carter and now the little boy has gotten very attached to him, his mom says.

"He has gotten very attached to Gavin!" she said. "He is happier when it's less stimulation, like when it was just us and the kids for the pizza party, it went much better, especially with Gavin being with him. Gavin is so patient and sweet with him. It makes my heart so full."

Patch was the first to report this story and it has since gone viral, with over 15 million people viewing the story on TV and online, especially when CBS national news picked it up.

It all happened at the skate park behind the South Brunswick police station on Tuesday evening, March 26. Carter, 5, has high-functioning autism and ADHD. His mom took him there on his fifth birthday.

That's when a group of older teens showed up.

“He wasn’t sure if they were going to take over the park or include him, so he was like, ‘Oh no, I guess I’m going to have to leave.’ He doesn’t always do well with large groups of people,” Braconi told South Brunswick police. “But these kids came up to him, started being super nice and playing and showing him things.”

Instead of shunning the little boy, the older kids welcomed him. An older boy in a black shirt, who has since been identified as Gavin, showed him how to ride his skateboard. When Carter fell off, the boy picked him up and put him back on and told him that learning how to ride isn't easy. When his mom casually mentioned that it was Carter's birthday, the pre-teens all sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Braconi was so surprised, she said she knew she had to capture it on camera.

Watch:

In addition to Mabes, the kids who were recognized for their kindness are David Lakatos, Aaron Perna, Luis Velazquez, Damon Andon, Jiya Salman, Jessica George, Lauren Mazur, Samantha Schwab and Om Patel. Police provided the group with pizza, cookies and a gift bag from the department.

“Those few minutes in the skate park exemplified what we all hope for in our young people, care and concern," said South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka. "Their story has gained national attention and made us all proud. It is sometimes in the smallest of acts that we can make the biggest impact. This party was a great way to recognize these young people.”