Couple Welcomes Baby on the Side of the Road During Rush Hour Traffic in N.Y.C.

A baby was safely delivered on the side of the road thanks to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD).

MTAPD Highway Patrol Sergeant Joseph Casale and his partner, Officer Eric Li, were traveling southbound on I-678 on Monday, Sept. 22, when a driver waved them down as they passed Exit 18, the last exit before the Whitestone Bridge Span in New York City.

According to the MTAPD, the driver had pulled over onto the right shoulder as his wife was in labor and needed help.

In addition to rush hour, there was extreme gridlock on the Bronx Whitestone Bridge at the time of the incident due to the U.N. General Assembly, and a disabled tractor-trailer was blocking two lanes of the Queens-bound span. 

The MTAPD said Sgt. Casale and Officer Li sprang into action, gathering the necessary medical supplies from their vehicle to assist with the delivery.

Realizing that the woman was moments away from giving birth to her baby, Sgt. Casale and Officer Li called for backup from MTAPD Highway Patrol Officers Sam Vira and Brian Gilligan.

According to the MTAPD, moments later, a baby girl was born and safely handed to her mother.

The FDNY-EMS then arrived to transport the family to New York Presbyterian in Queens, where the MTAPD says “mother and baby girl are recovering from their exciting ordeal.”

Although the family’s names were not released, the New York Post reported that the newborn baby girl’s name is Natalie.

The MTAPD shared photos on Instagram and X of Natalie being swaddled in a pink blanket as her mother looked on from a hospital bed, as well as a photo of the MTAPD officers arriving with gifts for baby Natalie and her mother. The officers also posed for pictures with the family.

This is the first time that Sgt. Casale, Officer Li, Vira, and Gilligan, who have all served with the MTAPD for over 10 years, have assisted in delivering a baby while on duty, according to the MTAPD.

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For their efforts, they were given the Bridge and Tunnels President’s Award for Exemplary Service by Cathy Sheridan, president of the MTA’s bridges and tunnels division, during a committee meeting, the New York Post reported.