Police officer helps student with his tie

MERCED, CA A UC Merced Police Officer, Jason Jacklitsch, came to the rescue this past weekend with a small act of kindness that has since gone viral.

UC Merced students were in downtown Merced on Saturday night getting ready to attend their Winter Ball.
Officer Jacklitsch was working the door of the event and soon came to the rescue of a student whose formal attire wasn't quite Winter Ball-ready.

Jacklitsch says he noticed a student walking up with an untied tie hanging from around his neck.

"I didn't know if that was the new style or if he was looking for some help,"Jacklitsch, says.

"I was kind of watching him and he was just standing there and his girlfriend said hey, can you help him tie this. So I went up and tried to tie it around his neck."

When that didn't work the officer went back to his basic training. He placed the tie around his own neck to tie it and then gave it back to the young man.

Since then, this small act of kindness that was caught on video has received over 80,000 views and 500 shares on Facebook--something officer Jacklitsch wasn't prepared for.

"I'm surprised how many people saw it. I guess I'm not big on social media," Jacklitsch says.

And the young man who needed help with his tie was also surprised by the amount of views, commenting in the video, "Well this is embarrassing for me."

Officer Jacklitsch says he was just happy to be of help.

"In any of our powers I guess we're here to help so he needed help tying a tie and I was there," says Jacklitsch.

Officer Jacklitsch was still working the door when the ball ended that night and says that on his way out the student stopped again to thank him for his help with the tie.