A Meath businessman has described a big-hearted stranger as a 'legend' after spotting him on CCTV putting a parking ticket on his partner's car in the wee hours of the morning.
Stephen Moran had woken up groaning last Tuesday morning when he and his partner realised they had forgotten to put a ticket on her car and could expect a hefty fine.
However, he was stunned when he checked his CCTV footage to see a stranger paying €1.50 into a parking meter and placing a ticket on the wipers of his partner's car at 2.27am on Halloween night.
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"We just forgot that night to put a ticket on the car for the next morning, and in Navan, when you forget, you can be sure that you will get a fine from the traffic wardens," said Stephen who owns Yeah Burgr on Watergate St.
"My partner looked out the window about 10.45am and saw the warden walking along the street.
"We were fully sure we had been given a fine but when we checked, there was a ticket on the outside screen of the car which gave us a few hours grace
"So we checked the CCTV footage and there was a guy with three friends walking past the premises and at 2.27am, he put money into the meter for a parking ticket for our car.
"Who does things like that? Who even notices if a car has no ticket? This guy is a legend and a gent.
"I'm eight years in business in Navan and other towns and it's very rare that you would see such a gesture of kindness.
"It was something small but something huge. He didn't leave a note or say who he was. He didn't even know who the car belonged to. And that makes him more of a legend.
"It's not the money but the fact of getting a parking ticket is so annoying and soul destroying anyway. If leaving the car in Navan, we normally always put a ticket on it, which kicks in at 9am so it gives us time to collect it before being fined. "
Stephen put the video on social media in an effort to find the hero of the hour and it has been viewed thousands of times.
"I've found out who he is and while I haven't spoken to him yet, I've messaged him to come in for a meal on us.
"There was a few bad incidents of anti social behaviour around the town over Halloween and little gestures like this really restore your faith in people."
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