Mom delivers in cab as baby can’t wait
Elina Zhao yawns in the arms of mom Fang Zhao in spite of the excitement caused when she was born in the backseat of a cab.
New York’s Finest met its newest Tuesday, when a group of cops helped deliver a baby in the backseat of a cab in Brooklyn.
Elina Zhao came into the world in a car after her mom, Fang Zhao, 30, started screaming on her way to the hospital. The panicked taxi driver flagged down two cops while two more arrived to help.
“The cab driver almost ran into us to get our attention,” said Officer Kerryann Douglas.
Elina debuted at about 12:30 p.m., landing in the arms of Lt. Hector Lugo, a trained EMT.
“[Fang Zhao] said, ‘The baby is coming,’ and I pulled the pants down and here comes the baby girl,” Douglas said.
Douglas’ partner, Joved Serrano, helped out by holding Zhao’s head.
Elina, her mom, and dad An Zhao, 30, were taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where mother and daughter were listed in good condition yesterday. Elina spent her evening taking a bath.
“I just hope the baby grows up healthy and I want to thank the police,” said Fang Zhao through a translator. “It’s a gift from God and a surprise for Christmas.”
An Zhao, who works as a chef, said he called a car service to his Borough Park home when his wife went into labor, but the cab didn’t arrive for 45 minutes.
The nervous dad recalled his first words to his new baby girl: “You are looking at your daddy now, but you scared your daddy today,” he told her.
