Man Uses Facebook To Track Down & Apologize To Person He Mugged Over Three Decades Ago

Facebook can be endlessly annoying because, among other things, it gives people from your past you might not want to have contact with a forum to make contact with you. But every now and then you hear a story about Facebook being used for good reunions and the site redeems itself. Sort of.

In this case, a man named Michael Goodman tracked down a man he mugged 35 years ago as a teenager to apologize for the incident that’s haunted him for years. It all went down in the comments section of a post about a shuttered bagel shop (H&H Bagels).

Here’s what Goodman wrote to Claude Soffel, the man he mugged on the steps of the Museum of Natural History…

You may not remember this (about ’76 or ’77) but a long long time ago I walked up the steps of The Museum of Natural History one afternoon, trying to look like a tough guy to [somebody] & saw you standing there at the top of the steps, I walked up to you & (mugged) you for your bus pass. For some reason there were undercover Police right there & I was arrested on the spot. My Father had to leave work & come & get me (I was minor at the time) & was not to happy with me to say the least! Anyway, I have never forgotten the incident or your name (it has sort of haunted me a bit throughout my life) & then here I am on fb. reading about my favorite bagel store in the world closing down, & who’s name do I see but yours & your quote about 2 salt bagels & the Dublin house (which I used to go to all the time, & get 1 onion & 1 salt bagel & eat it at the Dublin back in the day!) & my brain was blown! Finally I can say ~ I”M VERY SORRY that you had to go through that crap that day long ago, I wish it had never happened but it did. Like I said I was trying to look tough to impress some guy who didn’t believe I was in a gang, pretty frickin’ stupid huh ? So once again I’m truly sorry for taking your bus pass back then – forgive me & thanks for reading this “strange” & very long message! Peace & love to you my brother…!!!

And here’s what Soffel wrote back…

Michael A. Goodman, clearly your a “bigger man” today. wow. Memory is a funny thing, I recognize your name now, as well. So, apology accepted. Interestingly, I have dedicated a large portion of my life to helping other men be the man they have always wanted to be, and moments like this one continue to fuel my faith that the battle may be uphill but so rewarding. Any man who draws aline for himself, “Today I step forward for myself, my family, and humanity” is a hero to me. So let us now, jointly, put this in its proper place, behind us. With respect, Claude Soffel.

All together now…AWWWWWWWW!

(New York Post via Gawker)

×