PA Officer Becomes Online Sensation After Supporting Child's Lemonade Stand Amid Complaint

An Upper Allen police officer is being praised nationwide after responding to a complaint about a child's lemonade stand by buying a cup and posting a selfie — turning a sour situation into a sweet story of community connection.

An Upper Allen Township police officer is winning hearts across the country after responding to a complaint about a child’s lemonade stand — not with a citation, but with a smile and support.

According to a statement from Upper Allen Police Chief Andrew Parsons, Officer Mark Sanguinito responded to a call made by a woman identified only as “Mrs. Anonymous.” The complaint accused a group of children of being “too close to the road” and labeled them a “nuisance.”

Rather than shutting down the stand, Officer Sanguinito took a different approach. Upon arriving at the scene, he decided to enjoy the moment, snapping a selfie with the young entrepreneur and enjoying a cold cup of lemonade. The department shared the photo online with the caption highlighting the officer’s community-focused approach — and the post quickly went viral.

“Officer Sanguinito’s ongoing mission will be to connect with the youth in our community,” said Chief Parsons. “As our new District Resource Officer for Upper Allen and the Mechanicsburg Area School District, he’s clearly off to an amazing start.”

The community — and the internet — wholeheartedly agreed.

Facebook users flooded the department’s post with praise, applauding the officer for his kindness, common sense, and for promoting community engagement. The post racked up over 8,000 reactions, hundreds of comments, and dozens of shares within days.

Some commenters wrote:

“This made my day. Thanks to UAPD for supporting this kid.”

“Awesome job, officer. Thank you for your service and for using some common sense police work with community outreach.”

“I don’t even like lemonade, but now I’ll stop every time I see a stand.”

In a tongue-in-cheek twist, the department even thanked “Mrs. Anonymous” for calling in the complaint, which inadvertently gave them the opportunity to show the positive side of policing.

With this uplifting moment, Officer Sanguinito has not only shown what it means to protect and serve — he’s reminded the public how powerful one good deed can be.