It’s been more than two decades since Jose Lopez had seen his daughters. His wife divorced him when the girls were 8 and 1. A few years later he moved to Florida to take care of his mom. He reconnected with his kids over the phone, but then after his mom passed he had a series of strokes and became homeless.
But the 61-year-old says he was determined to find his daughters, so he hitch-hiked back to New Jersey. He remembered that the girls were last living in Long Branch New Jersey and so he had made it there but had no idea what to do next. NJ Transit Police Officer Sean Pfeifer saw him and asked him if he needed some help.Once he understood the situation Sean track down Lopez’s daughters and helped him get cleaned up, getting him a haircut and buying him some new clothes, before reuniting with them and meeting his grandchildren for the first time.
For Kristy and Angela Viviani, it was overwhelming to see their father again. Angela couldn't describe her emotions, but broke down into tears. Kristy said "I was getting used to the idea of never seeing him again".
She and her dad said the same thing when they met: "I thought I'd never see you again."
Jose told reporters. “I’m thinking, I’m in Heaven! I’ve got my two best girls.”