Thomas Robinson, a 31-year-old who has worked at Liverpool John Lennon Airport for 14 years, has been hailed as a true ambassador of the city after a viral act of kindness. He sent a bundle of Liverpool FC memorabilia to Jacob Zelinski, a writer in New York, following a chance meeting. The gesture, which included a shirt with the name of Jacob's late brother Joey and the year he was born, has been viewed 466,000 times on social media.
Chance encounter in New York
Thomas was on holiday with friends in New York when he bumped into Jacob in a pub. Jacob was drinking alone, and Thomas invited him into the conversation. During the chat, Thomas learned that Jacob's brother Joey, a huge Liverpool FC supporter, had died aged 23 in a car accident in 2019. Jacob has since taken on his brother's love for the Reds as a way to stay close to him.
Speaking to the ECHO in an interview for the Pub Corner series, recorded at the airport's Sable Bar, Thomas said: "Me and two of my mates were in New York at the same time went for a pint in the pub. We walked in and there's three empty chairs there so I just sat down. Jacob was there drinking a red and we just involved him in the conversation because he was drinking by himself."
An invisible string
Thomas, who says he doesn't believe in coincidences, was moved by Joey's story. He said: "Of all these places in the whole of New York, I've just sat here and he's got this connection to Liverpool. My head fell off. We followed each other on Instagram because he said he wanted to come and visit Liverpool. And we kept in touch."
After Jacob shared a post on the anniversary of Joey's death, Thomas decided to act. He put together a bundle of Liverpool-themed gifts, including a shirt with Joey's name and birth year. Thomas said: "I messaged him send me your address because it is just like an invisible string." Jacob filmed himself unboxing the gifts and posted the video on social media.
Overwhelming response
Thomas was unaware Jacob planned to post the video, as he was on holiday in Spain at the time. He said: "I was about to get in bed and my Instagram just blew up. It's still going off now to be honest. The amount of messages and comments I'm getting is wild."
The comments were full of praise, with one person named Stacey writing: "Befriending a Scouser is one of the greatest privileges in life. They'll be with you forever and a day." Jacob said of the response: "It was dead emotional because everyone was commenting, 'You'll never walk alone' And it's true. Once you meet a Scouser, you'll never walk alone again so it's nice."
Plans to meet
Thomas and Jacob remain in close contact. When the story appeared in the ECHO print edition, Thomas sent a picture to Jacob's family. He laughed: "His mum's messaging me now. I sent her a photo of it when it was in the ECHO paper and she was like, 'Send me four copies'. I'm going New York next year now so we'll probably meet up."
Jacob also plans to visit Liverpool. He told the ECHO: "It's so special and it makes me feel like I need to get a flight to Liverpool. I don't have plans, but in the past few days it has become quite evident I should make plans." The full interview with Jacob is available online, and the ECHO's Pub Corner at Liverpool John Lennon Airport will be released tomorrow morning.
