On January 14, Officer Nicholas Quintana of the North Las Vegas Police was on his lunch break when an ‘ominous’ call came.
“Trying to enjoy my lunch and this urge, this abrupt urge, that’s the best way I can describe it, came and I ended up going to the call,” the cop told FOX5.
He drove to Osaka Pearl Street, where a female was arrested for allegedly shooting her husband. Even more shocking, the couple’s five children were in the house while it happened.
Quintana’s heart broke for the kids—aged six to 17—who lost their parents under such traumatic circumstances.
“Wow. That’s sad. That’s extremely sad because now these kids are going to go to Child Haven,” he said.
Because he had experienced a similar experience, the police officer felt that he could relate to the orphaned children. When he was just a boy, Quintana’s father lost his life at the hands of another family member.
He had experienced the pain of losing a parent in such a terrible way and wanted to help these children.
Quintana wanted all of them to flourish.
“These thoughts like, ‘Hey, take the kids in,’ and I’m like, ‘What?’” he remembered thinking while at at the scene of the unfortunate event.
He returned home after completing his shift that night and told Amanda about the incident and his desire for the children to come in. Quintana knew the siblings would likely be separated under the foster care system, and he didn’t want that to happen.
Amanda was initially reluctant to the idea. However, her husband persuaded her to meet the children, hoping she would fall in love. So she did.
Three days later, they drove to Child Haven where Amanda met the children. She also had the opportunity to speak with them. Two days later, they returned home together as a family.
“I look at the kids and I say, ‘Hey, look, the reason why we’re here is because I had a thought,” Quintana recalled.
“I’d like to take every single one of you. I’d like to take you in our home.’ And the 16-year-old gasped for a sec and said, ‘Really?’ and I said, ‘Yeah,’ and of course, the oldest one says, ‘All of us?’ and I said, ‘Every single one of you.’”
Quintana said he has always wanted to be a father because he didn’t have one growing up. He wanted to love his child as he hoped his father would.
The Quintanas went from a family with two children to a family with seven. It’s definitely a huge jump that involved a lot of adjustment, so the North Las Vegas Police Officers Association set up a GoFundMe for the family to help cover their growing expenses. It has raised more than $69,000 so far.
Quintana says the experience of fostering the kids has been “humbling” and “amazing.” He said that there are so many “different emotions and so many different things, adjectives to describe it all.”
Quintana is happy, no matter how challenging everything may be.
“I think about every single last one of them from the oldest to the youngest,” he said. “Now, I’m not just thinking about these decisions for my wife, now, I’m thinking about it for my wife and our kids, our kiddos now.”
The Quintanas signed up for fostering classes in order to obtain their fostering licenses. They also received financial aid. They pay for their expenses using their personal money until then.
With their growing family, the Quintanas require all the support they can get. Donate to their GoFundMe account and spread the word about their amazing act of kindness.
Click the video below for more information about this incredible story.
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