Little girl accidentally called 911 thinking a real phone was her toy — then sent police a signed note that melted hearts
The 911 dispatchers have had plenty of experiences with receiving prank calls, but when they received a wrong call from a kid, the last thing they expected was an apology note. The North Haven Police Department received a note from a little girl named Lilly, who had accidentally dialed 911 from a phone that she believed was her toy. The note shared by the police department on Facebook on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, is now melting hearts online.
Lilly thought that she was playing with a toy phone when she called the 911 operators using a real phone that probably belonged to one of her parents. After realizing her mistake, she did not want to forget the incident and pretend that it never happened. She wanted to take full responsibility for it. The little girl went ahead to pen a sweet apology note for the North Haven Police Department (NHPD). In the letter, Lilly wrote, "Sorry for calling 9-1-1. I thought [sic] it was a play phone. I won't do it again." The NHPD acknowledged her apology, stating that such mistakes are bound to happen. They wrote, "Lilly, We got your letter. It's ok. Things happen…"
A 2025 report published by Government Technology stated that children playing with a parent's smartphone was identified as the most common reason for accidental emergency calls. Morgan County 911 Operations Manager Joey Sivley stated, "Parents give the kids the phone, and the kids play with it, hitting the power button four or five times, which calls 911 before they hang up." As per the officials, there were 691 accidental calls reported in March 2025, making up 24% of the total 911 calls. While the kid may have mistakenly dialed the number, the trait that was worth appreciating was her sense of accountability at a young age, which most young adults lack these days.
The NHPD's post grabbed the attention of many online users who shared similar stories from their lives. @CelenaDeanna Gallant recounted, "I called 911 when I was like four because our fan wouldn’t turn on and my parents were asleep and I was hot, so I called and turns out it wasn’t plugged in." @SamanthaRuelle wrote, "My daughter did this when she was at her dad’s for the weekend. I sped right over with a clay face mask on and in a snuggie. The cops laughed at me and told me 'Go back home and enjoy your night off.' Thank you, Ansonia Police Department." @JoannaLopez commented, "My son did this 21 years ago. I remember North Haven police coming to our then-apartment, knocking, and checking due to a call. I appreciated that even though they saw me playing with the baby on the floor while my husband told them he must have [sic] dialed by accident, they still made sure my son and [sic] I were okay."