Mariska Hargitay Is a Real-Life Hero as Child Looking for Mom Mistakes Her for Police on 'SVU' Set

Mariska Hargitay

Mariska Hargitay has never been more convincing in her role as Olivia Benson.

After solving mysteries on TV for over two decades, the 60-year-old actress put her actual sleuthing skills to the test when faced with a real-life mystery involving a young child lost in New York City. Fortunately, Hargitay's longtime role on Law & Order: SVU perfectly prepared her for such a moment.

While filming the police procedural in NYC on Wednesday, April 10, a young girl mistook Hargitay for an actual police officer, approaching her to ask for help finding her mom—and of course, Hargitay came to the rescue.

According to witnesses who spoke to PEOPLE, the child was separated from her mom in the Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park. After being enlisted to help, Hargitay stopped production for 20 minutes as she assisted the little one in locating her parent.

The girl was eventually reunited with her mom, with the wholesome moment being captured by nearby cameras. In the photos, Hargitay could be seen smiling and comforting the young child after the scary situation.

According to onlookers, the child believed Hargitay to be a real police officer based on the badge she was wearing as part of her character's wardrobe. She reportedly didn't seem to notice the camera crew, and instead, thought Hargitay was on-duty law enforcement.

And we can't say we blame the little one, as Hargitay has put on such a convincing portrayal of Olivia Benson for over 20 years now.

During the time of the Wednesday, April 10 incident, Hargitay was filming one of the final episodes of the SVU's 25th season, which is currently airing Thursdays on NBC at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

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