JSO officer comes to rescue after Jacksonville woman’s car breaks down en route to job interview

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville woman landed in a nightmare scenario Monday when her car broke down as she was only minutes away from a scheduled job interview at Noble Granite Inc.

The woman, Amber Battle, said in a Facebook post that her car had broken down just three minutes away from the office and that a JSO officer saw her crying by the side of the road and stopped to render help.

“We spoke for a moment, I let her know my situation, and that I really wanted to make it to this interview,” Battle said in a Facebook post. “As she was walking away I stopped her and asked, ‘Can you bring me to my interview?’ She hesitated a moment, then agreed to drive me, as long as I was okay with riding in the back seat.”

Battle said that Officer Sylvia Mitchell not only drove her to the interview but also provided her a personal endorsement to Battle’s prospective employers.

“This wonderful officer brought me to my interview, even stepped in and told the hiring folks how bad I wanted the job and everything,” Battle wrote. “She even let them know what time AAA should be getting to my car since she overheard our conversation.”

Nicole Lockett, a manager at Noble Granite, was the interviewer scheduled to meet with Battle and described the heartwarming story in a social media post.

“She came in and told me, while smiling, [to] please give her this job because she was not letting her car hinder her from getting to her destination,” Lockett wrote in a Facebook post about the incident. “This young lady’s drive and willingness to get to the interview, even in the midst of her car breaking down, speaks volumes.”

Battle said Officer Mitchell also put a notice out to other JSO officers, notifying them to refrain from towing her broken-down car, and that AAA was on its way.

Lockett conducted the first job interview with Battle and arranged a second interview with the company’s owner.

Battle landed the job and started work Wednesday, for which she credits the help of Ofc. Mitchell and the staffer from AAA, who she says went above and beyond to work with her on getting her car back.

“The world showed up and restored a bit of faith in me,” Battle wrote. “Thanks to officer Mitchell and AAA Kareem, I made it to my interview and me and my car made it home from my interview.”

Battle said she shed more tears Tuesday, but for the first time in a long time, they were tears of joy and relief.