Video: After officer’s gift, homeless man ‘lit up like it was Christmas’

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2. Closed captioning of: After officer’s gift, homeless man ‘lit up like it was Christmas’

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   >>> finally tonight's it was a photo taken by a tourist who saw something on a cold night in times square . and the photo has warmed a lot of hearts as it has gone around the world on the web. and in the process, it has made a new york city police officer something of a hero. the story behind the picture from nbc's stephanie gosk.

   >> reporter: in times square , visitors tend to look up, struck by the bright lights and billboards. but officer larry diprimo had his eyes on the streets, and on a homeless man in the street.

   >> it was freezing, first thing i thought, this was absolutely unacceptable. i went up to him.

   >> reporter: he was on the counter terrorism beat when he saw the homeless man sitting right here with no shoes on. in that moment, he thought it was not just his job to protect, but also his job to serve. the most immediate need was obvious, and the shoe store was right there.

   >> the officer was inspiring, i worked in the city for about ten years, and nobody has really taken this sort of initiative.

   >> reporter: conno cut him a deal on the water-proof winter boats, the officer paid with his own money.

   >> i think this is an important reminder that some people have it worse.

   >> reporter: jennifer foster, a tourist, saw as he gave the man a new pair of boots.

   >> this man's face lit up like it was christmas, and like he had just been given literally a million dollars.

   >> reporter: foster couldn't resist taking the now-famous photo, nearly half a million likes on facebook, and the number keeps rising.

   >> the fact he took the time on his shift, his own money, to do this for that gentleman, with his own money, i can't say enough about it.

   >> reporter: this this city, they're call new york city 's finest, officer diprimo is a good reason why. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york.

   >>> how about that, and while random acts of kindness take place every day, let's celebrate this one. the officer will be a guest live in the studio on "today." that

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