photo from NYPD Facebook page. Click here.

It isn't the first time that a photo or video of a big-city police officer doing something on duty has gone viral. But it's probably one of the most touching ever. A tourist took a snapshot of a New York City police officer giving new boots to a barefoot homeless man in Times Square. The officer — identified as Larry DePrimo — came up to the man who was asking for money on that cold night — and gave him a pair of all-weather boots and thermal socks. The photo has been posted on the NYPD's official Facebook page and has been "liked" by 420,00 users. DePrimo spoke with reporters yesterday — and remembered the night was so cold that his own feet were freezing — and he had two pairs of socks on. He calls buying the boots "something I had to do." NYPD's Facebook page now has 125,000 followers now (reportedly up from 7000).