Sick Boy Is All Smiles After Surprise Hospital Visit From New Jersey State Troopers

(INSIDE EDITION) A sick little boy in ICU was all smiles after a group of state troopers paid his hospital an unexpected visit.

Troops from the New Jersey State Police kindly made the rounds at K. Hovnanian's pediatric ICU in Neptune on Monday when they met a little boy named Zachery with some impressive knowledge of history.

First, he wasn't very forthcoming, though. Even after the troops gave the boy an official New Jersey State police hat to wear, he remained mostly in his shell.

But when someone mentions the word Titanic, he comes alive.

"Tell them about the Titanic," a woman's voice says from behind the camera.

The boy perks up noticeably. "The Titanic was really real. It was a real giant ship," he told a captivated group. "It sank."

Then things became all the more impressive.

"It turned to late. It got hit by an iceberg and it sank. April 14, 1912," he said, citing the correct date the famous ship began to sink.

The troopers were impressed, but the facts kept coming. "She had two sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic."

For over 20 minutes, the 8-year-old expert dispensed knowledge of the doomed super ship.

Zachery has been in the hospital since he was hit by a truck last week. He's one of a handful of children the troopers visited.

The inspiration for the visit came while they were wrapping up a course on community leadership. The outside-the-box class was held in the children's hospital prior to the meet-and-greet.

So, while the troopers didn't have to travel far, they surely brightened these young patients' day by the looks of things.

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