A 71-Year-Old Woman Had Been Sleeping in Her Car for Days. Then Two Deputies Stepped In

November 12, 2026

A 71-year-old woman who had been sleeping in her car for days received an unexpected act of kindness from two Florida deputies who made sure she wouldn't have to continue her journey alone.

Clay County Sheriff's Office / Deputy Maertz (top right)

The woman told Clay County Deputy Maertz that she had been living out of her car while waiting for a paycheck so she could make her way back home up north.

After hearing what she was going through, Deputy Maertz and his colleague, Deputy Mahlke, decided to step in and help.

In video footage shared by the Clay County Sheriff's Office, the deputies take the woman to a nearby Wawa, where they buy her a meal and something to drink.

For the woman, even a simple sandwich, chips and a drink felt like a luxury after the difficult days she'd been facing.

"Oh my God, you are a savior," she tells Deputy Maertz.

As the deputies fill up her gas tank, she can hardly contain her gratitude.

"This is heaven on Earth to me right now," she says.

But the deputies weren't finished.

Before parting ways, they handed her some extra cash to help cover whatever else she might need along the way.

"We're here to help you," Maertz tells her. "I want to make sure you get home." 

For someone who had been struggling just to get by, the deputies' generosity meant far more than a meal and a tank of gas.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office summed it up perfectly in its post: "Proudly Serving. This is what it's all about."