NYPD Officers Deliver Baby After Pulling Over Speeding Car: 'We All Needed That'

A pair of police officers in New York City delivered a healthy baby boy on the Staten Island Expressway after pulling over a speeding car.

The Toyota Camry was traveling at almost twice the speed limit when it was pulled over by Officer Adam May and Sergeant Anthony Demonte at around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night, the New York Post reported.

The officers found the driver was racing to get his wife to the hospital in time to give birth. Instead, the officers delivered the baby on the left shoulder of the expressway around 10 minutes later.

"Her water broke right in front of me," May, a former EMT, told The Post, adding that he and Demonte then went "into EMS mode."

Demonte, a former paramedic, told ABC News: "When I saw the crowning I said, 'This is happening now.'"

But with the mother bleeding after the umbilical cord separated during the delivery, May drove the couple and the newborn to the hospital with one hand on the wheel and the other on the cord.

After stopping a speeding car in Staten Island, @NYPDHighway cops found themselves delivering a baby into the world on the side of the road, then transporting mom, dad & newborn Matthew to the hospital—all while hand-clamping the umbilical cord.

Help us welcome our newest NYer! pic.twitter.com/fLP2h18hza

— Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) April 10, 2020

He "was driving the car with one hand, and clamping onto the umbilical cord on the other hand, while making our way to the hospital," Demonte told The Post.

At the hospital, Demonte said doctors and nurses welcomed the family with cheers and music. Overwhelmed by the rising numbers of coronavirus cases in New York City, Demonte said "seeing a brand new baby" had lifted their spirits.

May added the incident had kept a smile on his and Demonte's face during a difficult time. "We have to come to work every day, and we see all of it... We all needed that," he told The Post.

New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea shared a video taken from the car as the officers took the family to hospital. He revealed the baby had been named Matthew.

"After stopping a speeding car in Staten Island, @NYPDHighway cops found themselves delivering a baby into the world on the side of the road, then transporting mom, dad & newborn Matthew to the hospital—all while hand-clamping the umbilical cord. Help us welcome our newest NYer!"

NYPD
The New York Police Department shared this photo of the new father and the officers who helped deliver the baby. New York Police Department

Shea also spoke about the incident during a news briefing that was live-streamed on Twitter.

"[The officers] delivered the baby in the car and then drove to the hospital, one hand on the wheel on hand pinching an umbilical cord, delivering a healthy baby boy to that hospital," he said.

"God bless the baby, God bless mom and dad and God bless Officer May and Demonte for going above and beyond and doing what cops do every day, making us proud."

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan also praised the officers. "This is exactly why NYPD cops come to work during a pandemic and every other day. The Finest will always be here proudly serving New Yorkers—delivering babies (and fighting crime)," he wrote on Twitter.

The New York Police Department has been contacted for additional comment.

New York is the state hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 180,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and more than 8,000 deaths, according to a tally kept by The New York Times.

Across the U.S., there are more than 500,000 confirmed cases and more than 20,600 deaths, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University, the highest of any country in the world. More than 32,000 people have recovered.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advice on Using Face Coverings to Slow Spread of COVID-19

  • CDC recommends wearing a cloth face covering in public where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
  • A simple cloth face covering can help slow the spread of the virus by those infected and by those who do not exhibit symptoms.
  • Cloth face coverings can be fashioned from household items. Guides are offered by the CDC. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html)
  • Cloth face coverings should be washed regularly. A washing machine will suffice.
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World Health Organization advice for avoiding spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Hygiene advice

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  • Wash hands after coughing or sneezing; when caring for the sick; before, during and after food preparation; before eating; after using the toilet; when hands are visibly dirty; and after handling animals or waste.
  • Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance from anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
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Medical advice

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  • Note any recent contact with others and travel details to provide to authorities who can trace and prevent spread of the disease.
  • Stay up to date on COVID-19 developments issued by health authorities and follow their guidance.

Mask and glove usage

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  • Regularly washing bare hands is more effective against catching COVID-19 than wearing rubber gloves.
  • The COVID-19 virus can still be picked up on rubber gloves and transmitted by touching your face.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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