Police Bring Elderly Woman A New Air Conditioner When Hers Broke Down

An 87-year-old woman from South Bend, Indiana knew she was in trouble when her air conditioner stopped working during the sweltering heatwave that swept across the country. Joyce Boaler suffers from severe arthritis and has a hard time getting around, so she called the authorities for help.

"I called the number for emergency management, and I said, 'I have no air conditioning, and I have a very bad heart, and my life is in danger with this heat, and I have nothing to keep me cool. I need assistance, I need somebody to come out and look at it,'" Boaler told ABC57.

She was told that the earliest anybody could help her would be Monday or Tuesday.

"And I said, 'that's no good. You'll find my dead body on the floor by Monday or Tuesday.'"

A group of police officers were dispatched to check on Boaler and decided to provide her some relief from the dangerous heat. They showed up at her door with a couple of box fans and a window air conditioner.

"As you can imagine, it was very hot in her apartment putting her already declined health in greater risk. The responding officers stepped in to help," the South Bend Police Department wrote on Facebook. "Officer Napolitan purchased fans with his own money. Officers Weller and Ream were able to get a window AC unit for the apartment."

Boaler has contacted the property managers about getting her air conditioner fixed, but they have not sent somebody to repair it.

Photo: Screengrab/ABC57


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