Officers help mother deliver baby in Uber on BQE highway in Brooklyn

MARINE PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Mother and baby are fine thanks to a New York City Highway Patrol Officer who not only delivered a beautiful baby girl in the back of an Uber on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway near the Kosciuszko Bridge, he actually saved her life.

The Highway Division posted a photo of the mother on social media, showing her beautiful newborn and the officer.

"Once I got my hands on the baby, the baby was a little lifeless -- very cool, purple. And that's when I also realized that the umbilical cord for the child was around the neck," said Officer Raphael Mohammed.

By the time Officer Mohammed arrived at the Uber, the baby was breech -- the body, not moving. With the umbilical cord around the baby's neck, the child was suffocating. Officer Mohammed had seconds to save the newborn's life, but first he had to calm the mother, and that allowed him to work.

"I got me to create an airspace for the baby to start breathing, and once that airspace was created, I was also able to loosen the umbilical cord that was wrapped around the neck. By doing those two things, I realized that the baby started to gasp for air and started to move," adds Officer Mohammed.

Highway Patrol Officer Randal McFarland also arrived to help direct traffic and keep the area safe - the baby was born in the back of the Uber on the congested BQE in Maspeth on Sunday afternoon.

"Once we got the mom and the baby into the ambulance, me and Officer Mohammed, we escorted the ambulance to Wyckoff Hospital," says Officer McFarland

A roadside delivery is never easy, given the serious complications here, perhaps angels were watching over mother and baby.

Not only has 43-year-old Officer Mohammed delivered a baby before, but he also used to work as a paramedic, which may explain his advanced medical training, and his calming touch. In addition to the mother, there was also a 2-year-old toddler he had to keep calm.

When Eyewitness News asked him whether he regretted not going to medical school, he replied, "no, I chose this field, I love this field, and this is where I'm at."

Eyewitness News is told the Uber driver did try to assist the mother while she was delivering in his backseat.