See It: Toms River Police Answer Boy's Letter To Santa

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River youngster got a surprising answer to his letter to Santa Claus, when Toms River police arrived at his family's home on Christmas to make the special delivery of a certificate to become a township police officer for one day.

Mason Dentroux, 9, had written one letter to Santa already, his mother, Laura, said in describing the events that led up to Wednesday's surprise event.

But there was one wish Mason left out. So he wrote a second letter.

"A few weeks ago Mason had me put a second letter in the mail for Santa," Laura Dentroux wrote in a Facebook post that she shared with the Toms River Police Department. "He refused to tell me what it said but I mailed it as I was told."

"Apparently he asked Santa if he could be a Toms River police officer for just one day," she wrote.

Mason's father, Richard, is a retired police officer. "Mason really looks up to him for that. He’s been obsessed with being an officer since he was a toddler," Laura said. In addition, she and her father, uncle and brother are firefighters.

"Public service is a large part of our lives," Laura said. She and her father and brother are part of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, while her dad, brother and uncle all are members of the Pleasant Plains Fire Company.

"(Mason) really truly looks up to police officers, he always has," she said.

On Christmas, as the family was enjoying the day, they began hearing Christmas music blaring and discovered a line of Toms River police cars with their lights going along with the music, arriving with a special presentation for the youngster.

"Santa left this certificate at the department for them to bring to Mason today granting his wish! How amazing is this?" Laura wrote, and posted the certificate on Facebook.

In the video she shared, Mason says to her, "I don't understand," and shows her the letter. He was in shock, she said.

"He didn’t know how to react and he just came in the house afterwords and exploded with emotion," Laura said. "He now knows Santa really is real. Thank you so much to the Toms River Police Department, you’ve made our little boy's dream come true."

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