'She saved my son': Pennsylvania Taco Bell manager springs into action when baby stops breathing

Natasha Long said it was as if a guardian angel had appeared out of nowhere to help her baby start breathing again.

ByCharles Watson WABC logo
Thursday, April 18, 2024
'She saved my son': Taco Bell manager in Bucks County helps save baby who couldn't breathe

RICHBORO, Pennsylvania -- A Taco Bell manager in Richboro, Pennsylvania is being hailed as a hero after she sprang into action to save a baby's life.

Natasha Long said she had just come from picking up a prescription at a local pharmacy with her 11-week-old son, Myles, when she decided to stop at Taco Bell on Saturday to get some food.

When she pulled into the drive-thru, Long said she heard baby Myles struggling to breathe, so she immediately got out of the vehicle to check on him.

"I ran out of the car and ran around and opened the car door," said Long. "I pulled him out and he turned completely blue and was lifeless. At that point I just completely blacked out. I didn't know what to do."

Long says she started to scream in a panic. Her cries for help were heard by Taco Bell Manager Becky Arbaugh, who dropped everything she was doing to help once she realized how dire the situation was.

"I threw my headset. I ran outside," said Arbaugh. "I took the baby and I started to do chest compressions on the baby and then he finally started to breathe."

Long said it was as if a guardian angel had appeared out of nowhere to help Myles start breathing again.

She said Arbaugh comforted her and directed her on what to do as they waited for an ambulance to arrive.

Arbaugh, who is a mother of two, said she is no guardian angel. However, she said she was able to stay calm throughout because one of her daughters had a similar experience years ago.

She said that incident prepared her for a crisis like the one that fell in her lap.

"When my kids were little, my daughter had a similar incident, so I knew what she was feeling," said Arbaugh. "I knew if I kept her calm and I stayed calm, there was no thought in my mind that the baby wasn't going to breathe again."

Baby Myles did start breathing and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

It is unclear what caused his difficulty breathing.

The very next day, Long said she made sure to call Taco Bell so she could talk to Arbaugh and tell her how much she appreciated her actions.

"We couldn't be more grateful to Becky," said Long. "She saved my son's life."

11-week-old Myles

Though if you ask Arbaugh, she'll tell you she's no hero. She said she did what anyone would have done in that situation.

"I just thought of myself as a mom with another mom that needed help," Arbaugh said.

Long and Arbaugh said they have been in contact daily since Saturday, with Arbaugh even offering to sit in the hospital with baby Myles so his parents can get a little time to themselves.

Both said it was the beginning of a bond that will withstand the test of time.

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