Cranford Police Officer Delivers Baby Boy
Submitted by Detective Lieutenant Davenport
Patrolmen Thomas Bell and James Knight were on patrol around 8:33 a.m. on December 20, 2020, when they were dispatched to a 9-1-1 call for a pregnant woman in labor. Cranford resident Gina Chaves had gone into labor in her Cranford home when her water suddenly broke and the baby’s head had begun crowning.
Patrolman Bell, a 21-year veteran of the police force, quickly assessed the situation, making a determination that their time was limited and the delivery would need to occur in the home. During the delivery, Patrolman Bell soon discovered that the umbilical cord had wrapped around the baby’s neck. Patrolman Bell was fortunately able to remove the cord from around the baby’s neck and deliver the baby boy, shortly thereafter. Everyone, including the newborn’s parents, were relieved when the baby began to cry. Patrolman Knight took part in comforting the new parents until Lucas was turned over to the Cranford First Aid Squad to assess the newborn and monitor Gina’s condition.
The Cranford First Aid Squad took baby Lucas and his mother to Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston for evaluation. The proud parents, Gina and Noberto Chaves of Cranford are now home and said, baby Lucas is “healthy” as they expressed their gratitude to the responding officers and EMT’s for their actions.
