N.J. trooper delivers baby along parkway

ASBURY PARK, N.J. — A New Jersey State Police sergeant delivered a baby girl Friday on the Garden State Parkway.

Sgt. Sean Boag said he was on his way home from work in his unmarked State Police car. The sergeant was monitoring police dispatch on his radio when he heard a request for assistance: A woman was going into labor on the side of the northbound express lanes of the Parkway at milepost 110. At the time, Boag was headed south on the Parkway but close enough to the scene that he was able to arrive in a matter of minutes.

The expecting couple were from Lakewood and were on their way to a hospital in New Brunswick when the mother began to deliver their child. The husband pulled his Toyota Camry off to the side of the road and called 911 when he realized they would not reach the hospital in time, the State Police said Saturday in a prepared statement.

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Boag arrived at 3:58 p.m. and the baby was born at 4:02 p.m., according to the statement.

Speaking to reporters Saturday night in the lobby of Troop D's Holmdel Station, Boag said the baby was crowning when he reached the scene.

"I told her to push," Boag said. "A couple more pushes, we were able to pull the baby all the way out and once I cleaned her mouth, I got the mother and wrapped her up in a blanket and placed (the baby) on the mother's chest and that was it. We waited for first aid to arrive."

Boag said he has three children of his own but never actually did a delivery before. Nevertheless, he said the State Police trains its officers for a variety of different first aid contingencies and this is just part of the job.

"We are well-trained," he said, joking: "(But) I'm not sure I would take this up for a second profession."

The mother and child were transported to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, where they were reported to be doing well. Boag has been commended for his quick response and decisive actions, which helped keep everyone safe, the State Police statement said.

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The mother and father did not wish to be identified.

Boag said that given all the tragedy that troopers assigned to the Parkway see during the year, the birth of a baby at this time of year carried a special kind of meaning not lost on him.

Follow Erik Larsen on Twitter: @Erik_Larsen