Suffolk officers, EMS help deliver baby girl in ambulance on LIE shoulder
Ian and Amy Steinberg with their new daughter. Credit: Matthew Steinberg
A Woodbury couple welcomed a baby girl into the world Sunday morning in an ambulance on the side of the LIE with the help of Suffolk County police officers and Brentwood paramedics.
Amy and Ian Steinberg were en route to Katz Women's Hospital in Queens shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday when Amy Steinberg’s contractions quickly intensified, going from 14 minutes apart to four minutes apart before suddenly becoming 40 seconds apart.
“After about five minutes in the car, I knew we weren’t going to make it,” Amy Steinberg said. “It was go-time.”
Ian and Amy Steinberg's new unnamed baby girl, who was born early Sunday morning on the side of the LIE with the help of Suffolk police and Brentwood paramedics. Credit: Matthew Steinberg
Amy Steinberg said officers responded to her parked vehicle on the right shoulder of the westbound LIE near Exit 53 just minutes after receiving their 2:04 a.m. 911 call and moved her to the backseat in preparation of the birth.
EMS arrived about 15 minutes later and moved her to an ambulance, where “about 45 seconds later,” she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, she said. The Steinberg couple is still deciding on her name. They had chosen not to know the sex of their baby, thinking it would be “the last opportunity for a big surprise in our life,” Amy Steinberg said. But fate threw a curveball early Sunday.
From left are Suffolk Police Officer Kenneth Bunger, Sgt. Justin Carey and Officer Matthew Siesto, who all assisted in the delivery of the baby girl early Sunday. Credit: SCPD
“It was an overwhelming experience,” Ian Steinberg said. “I just remember I wanted to try and support her as best as I possibly could and very carefully blew a couple of red lights, which I’m expecting a couple of tickets for, but hopefully they’ll be excused.”
The Steinbergs praised the behavior of first responders, who were professional and reassuring when dealing with their first-time roadside delivery, the parents said.
“The crew says it was a privilege to be a part of this sacred moment,” Brentwood Legion Ambulance told Newsday in a statement.
The officers ended their tours early Sunday and the police department did not make them available for interviews.
“I feel like a superhero for being able to accomplish that,” Amy Steinberg said, speaking from South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore where she and her baby remain in good condition.
