MANHATTAN — On Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 0749 hours Detective Michael Sharpe of the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad, was traveling northbound on the FDR Drive in an unmarked department vehicle to Manhattan traffic court when he heard a 911 dispatch call for woman in labor in the vicinity of East 20th Street and the FDR Drive. Det. Sharpe responded to the location but did not observe the vehicle nor anyone in need of assistance.
He continued to canvass the area northbound on the FDR Drive when he discovered the family on the right shoulder in the vicinity of East 47th Street and the FDR Drive within the confines of the 17th Precinct. Det. Sharpe approached the vehicle, opened the passenger side door and observed a pregnant woman in labor. The baby’s father was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher receiving detailed instructions on child delivery. Det. Sharpe along with the child’s father then assisted the pregnant woman in the delivery of a baby boy.
They wrapped the newborn in a blanket, keeping him warm while the child’s father continued to receive instructions from the 911 operator. Shortly after the birth of the child, NYPD Emergency Service Unit Truck 1 arrived with Detectives Robert Mirfield and Joe Conway, who are trained New York State Emergency Medical Technicians, cleared the baby’s airway and cut the umbilical cord.
Additional NYPD Highway Patrol Officers also responded to the location and flagged down an ambulette near the location. The ambulette was provided with an escort to New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center where both mother and newborn boy are in stable condition.
