Law & Order’s Mariska Hargitay helps lost child who mistook her for a real police officer

Actor was in the middle of filming season 25 of the long-running police procedural when she was approached by a young girl

Filming for season 25 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was reportedly halted for 20 minutes as star Mariska Hargitay helped a young girl, who mistook her for a real-life police officer, locate her mother.

While in costume as detective Olivia Benson, Hargitay, 60, was filming the final episodes of the season last Wednesday (10 April) in New York City when she was approached by a young girl.

The child had been playing at the Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park, when she apparently became separated from her mother, a witness told People.

After mistaking Hargitay for a real police officer, the young girl enlisted the actor’s help to find her mother. In footage of the moment posted to social media, Hargitay can be seen walking around the park, holding the child, as she looks for the mother.

Production was stopped for 20 minutes while Hargitay helped the mother and daughter reunite.

Hargitay herself is a mother of three. She shares two biological sons and one adopted daughter with her husband, fellow actor Peter Hermann. The couple have been married since 2004.

The Emmy-winning actor has led NBC’s police procedural since its 1999 debut. Reflecting on the show’s decades-long success in January, Hargitay told People: “I can’t believe it’s been 25 years, a quarter of a century!”

She added: “I can’t see it any other way. I can’t imagine the show ending, and can’t imagine not going on this journey with my cast, my crew.”

Hargitay’s portrayal of Benson has landed her a whopping 6 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. She won the category in 2006. The show has landed 16 other Emmy nods, winning five of them.

Last month, Law & Order: SVU was renewed for a 26th season, making it the longest-running primetime live-action series in TV history.

SVU is the second series of the Law & Order franchise, which began in 1990 with the original Law & Order. That show ran from 1990 to 2010 before it was revived in 2022. It’s currently in its 23rd season.

In 2021, the franchise debuted Law & Order: Organized Crime, starring SVU alum Christopher Meloni’s detective Elliot Stabler, Benson’s former partner.

There have been several other spin-offs of the show, including Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Law & Order: LA and Law & Order True Crime.

New episodes of Law & Order: SVU air Thursdays at 9pm ET on NBC.