Suffolk County Police Officer Helps Deliver His 3rd Baby
TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Suffolk County Police Officer Jon-Erik Negron knows a thing or two about childbirth and bringing newborns into the world – even babies who aren't his own.
He's done it not once, not twice, but three times.
"As people have told me, this isn't the norm," Negron told CBS2's Scott Rapoport. "You can go a career without having one."
Around 2 a.m. Thursday, he and his fellow officers and rescue paramedics responded to a 911 call about a pregnant woman going into labor at a home in Terryville in the Town of Brookhaven.
With no time to spare, Negron helped deliver the beautiful girl – much to the relief of her mother.
"When I showed up, I was first on the scene, and she was in her bed. She knew she wasn't going to make it to the hospital," he said.
About a year ago, the officer also helped save the life of little Bryce Popalardo following a tense 911 call. The boy's mother, Jane, had gone into labor at the family's Mount Sinai home. Her husband, Mike, had managed to deliver the baby, but at first he wasn't breathing – until Negron saved the day.
"We were able to clear the baby's airway, he started breathing," he said. "It was the most unbelievable sound I've ever heard."
The family honored Negron by choosing him to be the baby's godfather.
Now with Thursday's special delivery, it's the third time he's helped deliver a baby since he joined the department in 2013.
"The radio call comes over, and you're like, 'this can't be happening again,'" he joked.
His colleagues even call him the Godfather.
