St. Paul taxi driver finds, returns Wisconsin man's missing car

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - This is the time of year when many people are getting into the spirit of the season by giving back to others. A local cab driver went above and beyond to help a man she'd just met.

In her 20 years driving a cab, Sheryl Hanson has picked up her fair share of interesting customers.
But one fare she had last week turned out to be more memorable than most.

"I just feel excited I could help somebody in their life," said Hanson.

Tuesday, Hanson picked up an 80-year-old man at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown St. Paul who wanted a ride to Amery, Wisconsin. During the drive, he said he came to town for a business meeting, but couldn't remember which ramp he'd parked his car in. After renting a hotel room and searching for it for two days, he still couldn't spark his memory. He was so exhausted and discouraged he just wanted to go home and forget the whole thing.

"My heart was just being tugged," said Hanson. "I just so wanted to fix this. I wanted to relieve the burden he was feeling and take the stress off of him. I so wanted him not to feel so bad."

The man gave Hanson his keys and asked her to keep an eye out for his car. She spent the next five days searching every parking ramp downtown until she found his silver Chevrolet Captiva about block from the hotel.

The next day Hanson and her mother, who owns the cab company All City Cab, drove an hour and a half to Wisconsin to return the car much to the man's surprise.

"He started crying," said Hanson. "He said, 'I knew you were wonderful.' He said, 'I can't believe you found it. I just can't believe it. I thought it was lost.'"

As a cab driver, it's no wonder Hanson knows her way around cars. But she believes fate put her in the driver's seat to help someone in need.

"Never give up and if you see somebody in trouble, help ‘em. Help ‘em," she said.

The man Hanson helped doesn't want to be identified because he doesn't like all the attention, but Hanson says they've become fast friends.

The Polk County Sheriff posted a picture of the Hansons returning the car on Facebook and it has been shared hundreds of times.