N.Y. boy's 'superheroes' thank him in person for 100s of cards sent after Pulse attack

ORLANDO, Fla. — When Zachary Becerra, 7, saw what happened in Orlando on June 12, he got out a pen and a pile of superhero-themed cards and started writing.

By the time he was done, Zachary had sent more than 100 cards of encouragement to Orlando police officers, and the gesture struck them so strongly that when they learned he was coming to town for vacation, they wanted to do something in return.

When Zachary arrived at Orlando International Airport Thursday wearing a Superman sweatshirt, a cadre of officers were waiting for him with challenge coins, a T-shirt, hats and his own police badge.

The Orlando Police Department coordinated the surprise with Zachary’s mom, but he had no idea what would be waiting for him when he walked off the plane.

“We wanted to do something special for him,” OPD spokeswoman Sgt. Wanda Miglio said.

Along with the cards, Zachary made a Twitter video for the officers.

“I’m happy that you liked my cards, thank you for your service, and I hope to see you soon,” he said.

Zachary has been sending superhero cards to law enforcement officers all over the country since he was deeply affected by the deaths of two New York police officers, who were gunned down in their cruiser in December 2014.

“We went to where it happened, and he actually started to cry,” his mother, Rosa Ortiz, said. “He said, ‘I want to do something.’”

They settled on delivering cards to New York Police Department officers emblazoned with the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and others.

His mom thought, at first, that he would only make cards for his nearby precinct, but she quickly realized he had larger plans.

Zachary decided he was going to hand-deliver cards to every New York police officer, all 34,500 of them.

Thousands of cards later, he now sends them to officers all over the country to show his gratitude.

His mother said Zachary wants to be a police officer when he grows up, and after his trip to Orlando, he’s one step closer: He’s already got a badge.

Cox Media Group