FORT GREENE — A pregnant woman stuck in traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway gave birth in the back of an Uber car Tuesday morning before being escorted to the hospital by a passing city Deputy Sheriff.
New York City Deputy Sheriff Jeff Rivera, 53, spotted the frantic driver, Rafael Abreu, waving from the side of the road about 10 a.m., the officer said.
"Baby, baby! A baby's being born!" Rivera said Abreu shouted.
The deputy sheriff heard the sound of the crying child as he approached the nearby Toyota SUV where he saw a young woman swaddling a newborn in a blanket.
"I asked the woman if she's in any kind of distress," Rivera told DNAinfo. "She said, 'I'm fine, the baby's fine, but I need to go to the hospital.'"
The unidentified couple had hailed an Uber in Greenpoint about 9 a.m. and had made it to the BQE between Wythe Avenue and Tillary Street when the driver decided to pull over because of the heavy traffic, Rivera said.
After the officer was convinced the baby and mother were okay, he told Abreu to follow him to the hospital.
"I asked the Uber driver to get in his truck and no matter what, stay behind me," Rivera said.
With lights and sirens on and megaphone blaring, the deputy sheriff made a quick route through the congestion to New York-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital, he said.
Uber footed the bill for the ride and will give the couple a free ride home as well. They are also planning to send the new parents an Uber onesie for the child.
"This is one of those only-in-New-York stories," said Josh Mohrer, general manager of Uber NY. "I am thrilled that we can welcome another New York Uber baby into the world and send our best wishes to the happy family and the driver-partner."
Uber also plans to reward the driver. They will pay for him to clean the car and will also give him tickets to a sporting event as a thank you.
