Trooper’s Amazing Act of Kindness Saves Halloween for Kids Whose Parents Died

A state trooper in Georgia did something rather unusual to make sure four kids could enjoy their Halloween.

D.J. and Crystal Howard died in a car crash this Halloween when they went out to get face paint for their children.

Nathan Bradley, a trooper in Morgan County, was sent to their house to break the news only to find the couple's four children -- ages 6, 8, 10 and 13 -- at the home in their costumes. The children's grandmother and next of kin lives in Florida seven hours away and immediately began the drive, but Bradley did not want to ruin the holiday for the children, so he stayed with them until she arrived and never told them about their parents. He explained his logic:

“Our purpose was to preserve future holidays as far as Halloween goes. We wanted them to relate it to Nov. 1."

He also told BuzzFeed:

“It was dreadful. It’s painful, one, to tell anyone that their loved one died, but to tell four children that both parents have died, plus it was Halloween…"

Bradley took the children out for fast food and then returned to his precinct where they watched a movie and were given candy.

All along, the 13-year-old knew something was wrong, but remained quiet. The next day, the grandmother arrived and broke the news, but Bradley's work was not finished. He set up a GoFundMe page to help the family pay for funeral expenses, which has already raised an astonishing amount of money.

The Georgia State Patrol has not commented on Bradley's actions, but it did post a lengthy statement on Facebook: