Authorities in New Jersey went beyond merely investigating a report of a stolen car three days before Christmas.

According to Fox News, Florence Township police are earning praise for helping a family replace the gifts they say were packed inside the vehicle when it was taken from an area convenience store.

Chief Brian Boldizar recounted the incident — and his agency’s response — in a Facebook post.

“During this time when most families are preparing to celebrate Christmas, this family not only had to figure out how they were going to get from place to place without a vehicle, they also had to figure out how they were going to get Christmas gifts for their family,” he wrote.

Over the next two days, Boldizar explained that individual officers pooled their money to buy gifts to deliver. The Florence Fraternal Order of Police also contributed to the fund and a local business offered to donate an iPad.

“Most of these officers were off duty and came in on Christmas Eve to make this family’s Christmas a special one,” he wrote.

Boldizar further praised the officers for action he said exemplifies the agency’s attitude toward the community.

“This job is a lot more then just writing tickets and arresting people,” he continued. “It is about taking care of our community. While that is a part of taking care of the community, so are doing things like they did tonight. Giving back to the community is not uncommon of our officers as you can see when you scroll through our Facebook page.”

Authorities simultaneously investigated the alleged crime, identifying a suspect after talking to witnesses and viewing surveillance footage. As of Tuesday, the individual had not been apprehended but officials had reportedly filed criminal charges.

[Featured image: Florence Township Police Department]