NYPD detectives escort Brooklyn woman in labor to Manhattan hospital
Detectives Daniel Martinez and Destiny Davila said the emergency escort started when an older man and his wife drove up alongside them with their pregnant daughter in the backseat.
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Two NYPD detectives are credited with jumping into action and helping a Brooklyn mother who went into labor and was considered to be “high risk.”
Detectives Daniel Martinez and Destiny Davila said the emergency escort started when an older man and his wife drove up alongside them with their pregnant daughter in the backseat.
“[The older man is] like, ‘Hey, listen, I need assistance. My daughter’s in labor,” said Martinez.
It happened last month on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway near exits 25 and 26 while sitting in bumper-to-bumper evening rush hour traffic. Everyone involved knew that time was of the essence.
“In that circumstance, every second counts because she’s high risk,” said Martinez.
Martinez said the plea felt personal because the 18-year NYPD veteran has a 9-month-old son waiting for him at home.
“I thought about my wife because she was also high risk, so [I] just went into first-responder mode and said, ‘Hey, listen, this family needs help,’” said Martinez.
The family, who drove behind the NYPD, requested that they go to New York-Presbyterian Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan.
“I wanted to make sure that [the grandfather] said the right hospital because I knew that there was another hospital close to the BQE,” said Martinez. So, I literally stopped and said, ‘Are you sure it’s Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital [on] York Avenue?’ He said, ‘Yeah,’ so I said, ‘We’re going!’”
The detectives said they put on their lights and sirens, drove through the Battery Tunnel and onto the FDR Drive -- all full steam ahead.
“Train was coming, no doubt,” said Martinez. “Choo choo!”
What could’ve taken an hour or more during that evening commute, only took about 20 minutes from Brooklyn to the hospital, where police said the expecting mother arrived safely and delivered a baby girl.
“We have been informed that the baby is healthy, and we do look forward to reaching out to them when [the mother] has the chance to talk,” said Davila.
