A 5-year-old's birthday was canceled because of coronavirus. So, he got a parade of fire engines. 'We just wanted to show the residents that we're here for them,' Eatontown fire chief says.

Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus in NJ: Eatontown boy gets birthday surprise Joel Hakim gets a 5th birthday surprise from the Eatontown fire department and first aid squad.

EATONTOWN, N.J. – Firefighters and first aiders made a big save Sunday, rescuing a New Jersey boy's birthday party.

Unable to have a party because of the social distancing measures in place to guard against the coronavirus outbreak, 5-year-old Joel Hakim was instead visited by a parade of fire engines and ambulances with sirens blaring in front of his home.

His father, Michael Hakim, said his son was at first a little taken aback by the commotion but soon caught on. He said the first responders made his son's day.

Hakim told the Asbury Park Press that he reached out to the fire department via its Instagram last week to see if it could run the sirens for his son's birthday. The department responded that it would.

About 10 fire trucks and first-aid vehicles drove past Hakim's home, spending several minutes there flashing their emergency lights.

"We just wanted to show the residents that we're here for them. We tried to lift their spirits during this difficult time," said Eatontown Fire Chief Bruce McDonald.

The family, consisting of dad Michael and mom Debbie, and Joel's two older siblings Albert and Jeanie, was on the porch when the vehicles rolled down the street at about 1:30 p.m.

McDonald said Joel "was jumping up and down about as happy as a kid can be."