Polish Connecticut state trooper helps SUV that happens to have ex-Polish President Lech Walesa as passenger

Tolland, Conn. — A Connecticut state trooper who's a native of Poland got quite the surprise while responding to an SUV with a flat tire Wednesday - a passenger in the vehicle happened to be former Polish President Lech Walesa.

State police said Trooper Lukasz Lipert arrived to the call in Tolland and was greeted by Walesa, who had spoken in Hartford on Tuesday as part of his U.S. tour advocating for aid for refugees who have fled Ukraine during the war with Russia.

Lipert, 35, who came to the U.S. when he was 18, told The Hartford Courant that he spoke with Walesa in Polish about their homeland and the anti-communist movement Walesa helped lead.