TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A traffic stop in southern Taiwan on Tuesday (Dec. 6) accidentally resulted in the union of a mother and a son who had been separated for 20 years.

The Renwu Precinct of the Kaohsiung City Police Department on Sunday (Dec. 11) said that at around 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the precinct's patrolling officers pulled over a 46-year-old man surnamed Kao (高) at an intersection in Zenwu District, Kaohsiung City for smoking while riding a scooter, which is against the law, CNA reported.

While checking his identity, the police found that Kao was the son of a 70-year-old woman surnamed Lan (藍) who had been looking for him.

It was reported that Lan left home alone to live in Taichung 20 years ago due to unbearable domestic violence. After being separated from her family for so many years, she returned to Kaohsiung in November to find her family.

However, as their old house had been rebuilt, she was unable to find her family. So, Lan recently went to a police station in Fengshan District to ask police for help to find her son.

After the police found Kao, they immediately notified Lan and asked the two to call each other. An emotional Kao told his mother that he had been looking for her for a long time and that he did not expect to see her again.

The two are planning to see each other during the Lunar New Year holiday. Kao repeatedly thanked the police for making the reunion possible, per CNA.