Life imitates art. While filming the final episodes of the latest season of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, series lead Mariska Hargitay was mistaken for a real life New York City Police officer. On April 10th, she was approached by a young girl who had gotten separated from her family, a witness tells People.

In pictures, Hargitay can be seen getting on the girl’s level and asking her questions much like her character Olivia Benson does on the show. She apparently was oblivious to the film crew and Hargitay‘s scene partner, Ice T, who plays Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, focusing in on how Hargitay was dressed and, of course, her character’s NYPD badge.

According to the witness, the little girl had been separated from her mother in the Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park. Hargitay apparently halted production for 20 minutes to help the child locate her mother. Eventually, the mother was located and Hargitay could be seen talking with both of them to make sure everyone was okay.

Hargitay’s Been Playing a Cop for Two Decades

Law and Order: SVU is currently the longest running drama on television right now, with 25 seasons and counting. Hargitay has played Olivia Benson since the series’ inception in 1999. SVU was a spin-off of the courtroom procedural drama Law & Order which began in 1990 and ran until 2010. It was then restarted in 2021.

Hargitay spoke to People back in January, saying she’s had “those moments where I’ve sort of slipped into her. If there’s a crisis, I just take over and lead like that. Being strong and fearless.” It would seem that an incident just like that would come about only three months later. Despite the fact that the cameras stopped rolling, Hargitay maintained her role of protector of the peace, helping to reunite the girl with her mother.

Law & Order: SVU airs Thursday’s on NBC and new episodes are available on streaming Friday’s on Peacock.

via Collider