Cranford Cop Shares 'Awesome' Experience Of Delivering Baby

CRANFORD, NJ - The world of a police officer can be fraught with peril and dealing with difficult situations, but on Friday Patrolman Daniel Donnerstag had a completely different kind of experience as he helped deliver a baby in a Cranford couple's home.

"It was probably the most awesome experience I've had as a police officer," Donnerstag said.

Donnerstag said when a call comes in from dispatch often times it winds up being something other than what they originally were being called in for. In this particular instance, Donnerstag and fellow patrolman Nicholas Cook knew they were being dispatched for someone in labor. what he didn't know was how far along the labor was or that he would have a personal connection to the couple having the baby.

Arriving at the Orozco residence, Donnerstag saw Steven Orozco standing outside. Donnerstag said he went to school with Orozco in Union and played soccer with him.

"I knew he lived and Cranford and had seen him around," Donnerstag said. "So I said 'hey Steve, whats going on?'"

What was going on was Steven's wife Ruth was extremely close to giving birth. Donnerstag said it was extremely evident they were not going to get to the hospital before the baby's arrival.

"Once I stepped into the house and assessed the situation it was pretty clear to me," Donnerstag said.

Donnerstag saw the contractions were only a minute apart and the baby's head had begun crowning.

"There were definitely a lot of moving parts, but I kind of more or less took charge but there were a lot of helping hands," Donnerstag said noting that Steven was "tremendous" as was Ruth's mother.

Donnerstag is a five-year veteran of the force, and has been an EMT for two decades but Friday's call was a new one for him.

"I have been an EMT since I was 15 and I'm 35 now and I never experienced anything like that," Donnerstag said.

Donnerstag said in this day and age, no one expects a child to be born at home. He said everything happened so fast and shortly after the birth the Cranford First Aid Squad took the baby boy and mother to Overlook Hospital in Summit for evaluation.

"I've not seen the baby but I've spoken to the family," Donnerstag said. "Everyone was super thankful."

Detective Lt. Edward Davenport said everyone in the department was obviously very proud of the officers involved in the delivery.

"It is a very rewarding experience and we are grateful that baby ‘Louis’ and mom are healthy and happy," he said.

For his part, Donnerstag said the amazing experience is one that stands out in his career.

"As a police officer you often deal with negative stuff and this was definitely different than that," he said.

(Photo courtesy of the Cranford Police Department)

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