Police Officer Delivers His 5th Baby In 5 Years & Earns The Nickname ‘Baby Whisperer'

Dec 12, 2022

Some of us may take years to cultivate our talents, while others unexpectedly have some natural gifts thrust upon them. Such is the case for one New York police officer, who has helped deliver five babies while on the job.

In November 2022, Sgt. Jon-Erik Negron of the Suffolk County Police Department helped a woman who went into labor weeks early to deliver her child in her home, but it wasn’t the first time he had done so. In August 2017, he was called to a home in Mount Sinai when the mother, Jane Pappalardos, unexpectedly entered labor. The baby’s father, Mike Pappalardos, succeeded in delivering his son but found he had his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. Even after Mike removed it, the newborn still wasn’t breathing. Negron then used a plastic syringe he found in the house’s kitchen to clear fluid from the baby's airway, saving his life. In honor of Negron’s life-saving action, the Pappalardoses decided to name the officer godfather to the baby boy, whom they named Bryce. 

“This superseded anything I imagined on having an impact as a police officer,” Negron told ABC 7. “This is probably the most meaningful thing that will happen to me on this job and it exceeded all expectations.” The couple, meanwhile, said it was the least they could do in tribute to the man who saved their child’s life.

“He's been there for Bryce since his first breath,” Mike said. “He's just so genuine and asked us to keep in touch with him to let him know how Bryce is doing. It made us think, you know what, we want him in his life.”

Later in 2017, Negron helped deliver a baby by the side of a road on Long Island, while two more babies found the officer by their side at their births in the years that followed. While Negron may have thought delivering four babies was enough help he was giving the stork, it was not to be, as he once again found himself in a similar situation in November 2022.

On Nov. 26, 2022, a police team comprising Negron, Zachary Vormittag, Jadin Rodriguez and Conor Deimer was dispatched to the home of Rebecca Reyes, who had gone into labor and was unable to get to the hospital. Once on the scene, the officers lay Reyes down in the living room and proceeded to aid in the delivery of her third child. She successfully delivered the baby and a medical team was on hand to cut the child’s umbilical cord before the mother and child were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital. As for Negron, the Suffolk County Police Department had bestowed a fitting nickname for the officer with a talent for helping babies.

“This is the fifth baby delivery Sgt. Negron has been involved in as a member of the SCPD, earning him the nickname the ‘Baby Whisperer,’” the department wrote on Facebook while recounting Reyes’ case.

Negron, meanwhile, expressed surprise at just how fortuitous he’s been.

“I thought that my childbirth days were over when I became a sergeant this year and I guess the record lives on so we'll see how many we can take it to,” Negron said. 

How wonderful was it for these mothers to have had Negron at hand to help them? Have you had any happy coincidences happen to you? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to friends and family.