Mariska Hargitay Helps Little Girl Find Mom While Filming ‘Law & Order’

Mariska Hargitay — known as Olivia Benson on ‘Law & Order’ — temporarily became a real-life cop after a lost little girl was searching for her mother … and came to her for help.

The child is said to have thought Mariska was an actual police officer as she clocked her prop cop badge …. bolting straight to her for help while the actress was in the middle of filming an ‘SVU’ episode in NYC last week.

Witnesses report the little girl — who became separated from her mom while at Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park — didn’t even notice the filming crew or Mariska’s scene partner, Ice-T, in her search for help. She just went straight for Mariska, apparently.

MH and the production crew immediately ditched the script for about 20 mins as they helped track down her mom … so yeah, she became an actual hero and did what cops do.

True to an ‘SVU’ episode, this real-life drama had a happy ending too … with the mother and daughter getting reunited, all thanks to Mariska and the crew’s quick action.

After 25 seasons, “Law & Order: SVU” reigns as the longest-running primetime live-action series in American TV. Naturally, Mariska has become practically synonymous with her role … and she’s clearly just as adept at playing a detective off-screen too!