‘She’s Crying’: Newark Cop Saves Choking Baby (VIDEO)

NEWARK, NJ — “She’s crying… she’s crying.” Under normal circumstances, it’s not the status update that a parent wants to hear about their child. But when your baby is choking, those words are a serious breath of relief.

On Friday, a Newark police officer came to the rescue of a year-old infant, performing the Heimlich maneuver and saving the child’s life (watch video footage below or view it online here).

Here’s how it all went down, authorities said:

“At approximately 7:35 a.m., traffic unit Sgt. J. Cosme was working in the area of 2nd Street and Sussex Avenue, when he was approached by a male who was screaming for help because a baby inside his vehicle could not breathe. A woman in the vehicle’s backseat reported that her child was choking on a peppermint candy. Sgt. Cosme performed the Heimlich maneuver, thrusting the baby’s abdomen and firmly patting her back. These steps cleared the baby’s airway, causing her to begin breathing.”

Cosme then transported the child and her mother to University Hospital in his police vehicle.

The child is reportedly in stable condition, police said Tuesday.

“I can only imagine the incredible relief this baby’s mother felt after witnessing Sgt. Cosme spring into action to help her choking one-year-old daughter to breathe,” Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda Sr. said, commending Cosme for his “quick thinking” and knowledge of the Heimlich maneuver.

And driving the child and her mother to the hospital afterwards? It’s the type of exemplary police service that reassures the local community, Miranda said.

“Thanks to Sgt. Cosme, this incident ended with the best possible outcome,” he added.

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