IMLAY CITY, Mich. (WXYZ) — An Imlay City police officer became an unexpected hero when he delivered a baby after arriving at a home where a woman was in labor, just minutes before emergency medical services could arrive.
Officer Robert Velasco responded to a 911 call just before 4 a.m. on Friday, February 13, and found himself delivering baby Renesmee when there was no time to wait for EMS. His quick actions may have saved the newborn's life.
Makenzey Hartley and her boyfriend Jesse Derusha had gone to the hospital around midnight, but were sent home despite Hartley being in labor.
"The contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart, and the pain level was high, but because she was only dilated to 2.5 centimeters, they sent us home," DeRusha said. "30 minutes after sending us home, her water broke, and it was too late to go back."
That's when DeRusha called 911.
"My girlfriend's water broke. She went into the bathroom, and she's in complete agony," DeRusha told the dispatcher.
As the dispatcher began instructing DeRusha on how to deliver the baby himself, Velasco arrived at the scene.
"I was hoping EMS was there," Velasco said.
But when he realized he needed to step in, the officer quickly jumped into action.
"I was telling him the same thing I was telling myself, this is nature, you know?" Velasco said. "I told him to get me a clean towel, and I guess we were in for the ride, and so we went."
Not long after, Velasco delivered baby Renesmee - the first delivery of his career. His actions proved crucial when he discovered the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck and quickly unwrapped it before EMS arrived.
"I was able to massage the baby until the baby started crying. At that point, I was like you got a daughter, she's breathing, her eyes are kind of opening up. I'm passed my scope of abilities, so I'm going to wait until EMS gets here," Velasco said.
The couple expressed deep gratitude for the officer's life-saving intervention.
"I'm very thankful, and I'm so happy he was there to help out, because that's a lot to handle," Hartley said.
DeRusha echoed those sentiments.
"As traumatic as it may have been, it was definitely a miracle at the same time," DeRusha said.
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