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Camera captures 2-year-old hugging pizza deliveryman who recently lost a child

A pizza delivery man received an unexpected surprise that warmed his heart.
A sweet moment between a 2-year-old boy and a deliveryman was captured on a home security system camera during a recent pizza drop-off.
A sweet moment between a 2-year-old boy and a deliveryman was captured on a home security system camera during a recent pizza drop-off.Courtesy Lindsey Sheely
/ Source: TODAY

A piping hot pizza being delivered right to your door is always exciting, but for one toddler, the experience was so thrilling that he couldn't help but give the deliveryman a big hug for bringing him food.

However, the young boy's simple gesture turned out to be a meaningful act of kindness that his mother never could have expected.

Lindsey Sheely, a makeup entrepreneur who lives in West Warwick, Rhode Island, ordered dinner for her family from Wicked Good Pizza on Saturday night. Her home security camera captured the short and incredibly sweet interaction that followed.

“Saturday night, when we got our pizza (and ranch) delivered, Cohen ran out to hug the delivery guy and tried to give him a kiss, too!” Sheely shared in a social media post documenting the experience. “We thought it was so sweet and funny, then realized that our doorbell might have caught the interaction on camera, and it did! I hope it gives you a laugh and warms your heart like it did for us."

Sheely thought her son's gesture was so sweet that she ended up posting the security system video to her Instagram account. Ryan Catterson, the pizza delivery worker, got wind of the video through a friend.

"Someone showed Ryan the video I posted to my Instagram, so he messaged me, and I found him on Facebook so he could share the video," Sheely continued.

Later, while scrolling through his Facebook page Sheely learned the heartbreaking news that Catterson had recently lost his own 16-year-old daughter.

After realizing what had happened to Catterson, Sheely called her son's impromptu hug "a little blessing from God."

Cohen Sheely
Two-year-old Cohen Sheely spread some unexpected joy to a stranger when his family ordered pizza on Saturday. Lindsey Sheely

“There is no practical reason that Cohen hugged the delivery guy! I think God just uses the innocent love of children to bring hope and light where He knows it’s needed,” Sheely told TODAY.

To her knowledge, Catterson had never delivered pizza to their house before so Sheely doesn't believe her son simply ran up to him because he recognized him.

“We get a lot of deliveries and he never hugs the other delivery men or women, never mind run out the door to do so," she added. "He has been known to hug and kiss people we know, but not strangers like this."

Since Saturday, Sheely said that she and Catterson have been in touch and he told her that Cohen's sweet gesture truly made a lasting impression.

“He wanted to let me know just how much he needed that hug that night," she said. "We are beyond grateful to know that our little boy’s hug had such an impact on Ryan and his family."