ASTORIA, Queens (WABC) — Two NYPD officers are being credited with helping save the life of a 1-month-old boy who stopped breathing earlier this month in Astoria.
It happened at a home near 24th Avenue and 27th Street, where Officers Douglas Zimmerman and Jesutofunmi Aregbesola of the 114th Precinct responded after learning the infant was not breathing.
Aregbesola said the officers arrived to find a distraught family gathered around the child.
“So it was a full house — mom and dad…grandma and grandpa..”
Zimmerman said family members were already attempting to help the baby and tried to perform CPR themselves.
Body-camera video captured the moments after the officers arrived. The officers took over lifesaving efforts and began performing CPR on the infant.
Aregbesola recalled reassuring the child’s mother as the officers worked.
“I just remember telling her, ‘We’re here, we’re gonna take care of it. It’s alright,” he said.
According to the officers, CPR on an infant requires a different approach than CPR on an adult. Video from the scene showed the officers performing compressions on the baby’s chest using two fingers.
“So when you’re performing CPR on an infant that small, you can’t do the same type of CPR that you would perform on an adult,” said Zimmerman
As the officers continued their efforts, the baby’s mother told them:
“He threw up before anything happened,”
Zimmerman said he remained focused on reviving the child.
“I had it in the back of my mind…I didn’t wanna have to tell the mom that we couldn’t save her child. So I was just gonna continue doing whatever I had to do to make sure that child was breathing and alive again.”
Moments later, the officers realized the infant had started breathing again.
“Ok. He’s breathing, he’s breathing..”
Zimmerman described the experience as unlike anything he had previously encountered saying he ‘never really experienced anything like that.
The baby was then turned over to EMS personnel and transported to New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan. He has since been released.
Aregbesola said he later spoke with the child’s father.
“I have spoken with the dad after the incident, and he just expressed so much gratitude. He was wondering if he actually would get to see us again. He was just really thankful that we were there that day and we did what we did,” he said.
The officers said the family’s appreciation was meaningful, but they were equally grateful for the outcome.
“It definitely feels rewarding after, and I’m just extremely grateful to have helped..”
The officers said they are thankful the infant survived the medical emergency.
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