Philadelphia Police Officer Helps Deliver Baby In A Cab On Broad Street
By Syma Chowdhry
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Kimberly Anderson says her infant son, "came in here with a bang."
Baby Sadeem has lived a very eventful life in his first few hours. He wasn't supposed to born for a few weeks, but Sadeem couldn't wait.
Anderson started experiencing contractions Friday around 7 a.m. and took a taxi to the hospital.
"We are riding down Broad Street contractions were getting real severe," she remembers.
By the time she got to Spring Garden and Broad Street, the baby had started coming out.
"I heard him cry a little bit once I pushed him out," she said. "Then he wasn't, and I was like, 'My baby is not crying!'"
The cab driver pulled over and waved down Officer Gary Kustra.
"I ran to the cab, opened the door up. When I looked inside, you can see the baby was hanging over the rear seat, so I immediately grabbed the baby," Officer Kustra says.
Kustra sprang into action after noticing the baby was not breathing.
"Cleared out his passage ways, ensuring all the fluids were draining, and then he started to cry," he explains.
With a police escort, mom and baby were taken to the emergency room at Hahnemann Hospital.
Dr. Bohdan Minczak took over once they arrived.
"Mom was evaluated," he says. "The cord was cut. Then the child was further evaluated. I want to say resuscitated, but treated and everything went well."
Doctor Minczak said many things could've gone wrong if it wasn't for Officer Kustra's quick thinking.
"He did an excellent job," says Dr. Minczak. "Mother and baby did really well. And he is a credit to the police department. He is a credit to the medical profession."
Officer Kustra has never helped deliver a baby in his 11 years on the force, but he is glad he helped Kimberly.
"She was under a lot of stress," Kustra says. "I am sure she didn't want to deliver a baby in the back of the cab. It wasn't her ideal choice, but you have to make the best of it and make her happy."
Both mom and baby are expected to be just fine.
