Florida police officer saves newborn who was choking and turning blue.
A Florida police officer saved the life of a choking, 6-day-old girl, whose panicked parents were speeding toward a hospital, but running out of time.
Office Jorge Goz saw the 911 call on his cruiser's computer. The baby's parents said they were trying to get to a medical center, along with the newborn's grandmother. But the little one was choking and turning blue.
"As soon as I saw that, I knew I had to act," Goz told CBS12. He knew there were too many miles, and too many stop lights, between the parents and the nearest hospital.
“I wanted to go and help," he said. "Time is of an essence when there’s a baby not breathing or not conscious."
He radioed the dispatcher and gave instructions for the couple to pull over at the intersection of Okeechobee Road and South Jenkins Road. He met them and grabbed the infant, who was now unconscious and limp.
“I gave her three to four thrusts to the back, made sure I kept her airway open, and once I heard her breathe and cry that’s when I knew that the baby was breathing again,” Goz said.
The parents were beside themselves and the father was sobbing. "I got her, bro," Goz said. "She's OK." The infant girl, meanwhile, was coughing and crying, lying face-down over Goz's capable hand.
Mucus and milk had lodged in the baby's throat, causing her to choke, the officer said.
The child's grandmother called Goz a hero. “She was breathing, and thank God you know, Officer Goz saved her life ... We were so thankful,” said Argelia Quiroga.
Alybree DeJesus Cerda was taken to the hospital and kept overnight. She is now 2 weeks old and doing fine.
“I’m ecstatic, happy. I’m honored that I was able to assist that family,” Goz said.
He has since gone to the family's home and trained the parents in infant CPR and first aid.
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