Born at Mile Marker 113: NJ State Trooper and an iPhone Cable Save the Day in Turnpike Delivery
screen grab from WABCTVNY
the staff of t he Ridgewood blog
Mile marker 113.3 on the eastern spur of the New Jersey Turnpike in Secaucus is usually just another stretch of highway for commuters. But for the Fast family, it will forever be the exact coordinates of an unforgettable medical emergency: the roadside birth of their baby boy, Archer.
When mom Kristen Fast went into sudden labor, her husband Alex scrambled to get her to the hospital. Little Archer, however, refused to wait. Arriving three days before his official due date, he forced a dramatic highway detour that required a MacGyver-like solution and a heroic assist from local law enforcement.
The Emergency Roadside Delivery
As contractions intensified on the highway, the family’s doula gave them immediate, urgent instructions: pull over, hang up, and call 911.
Alex quickly pulled onto the shoulder and hopped into the backseat to assist his wife while a 911 dispatcher walked him through the delivery process over the phone. Within minutes, New Jersey State Trooper Freddie Guacamaya arrived on the scene to take control.
“I said, ‘Are you the EMT?’ And he didn’t answer,” Kristen Fast recalled with a laugh. “So I said, ‘You are not an EMT. I’m in danger.’ But he was fine, he was being very calm.”
Quick Thinking: The iPhone Cord Clamp
With the baby successfully delivered right there on the shoulder of I-95, the dispatcher and Trooper Guacamaya delivered another time-sensitive instruction: the umbilical cord needed to be clamped immediately using whatever materials were available.
Faced with an lack of traditional medical supplies, Alex improvised with what he had on hand in the front seat:
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The Solution: A standard Apple iPhone charging cable.
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The Result: The cord was securely clamped just before first responders arrived.
When the emergency medical technicians finally made it to the scene, their reaction to the tech-savvy medical hack was priceless: “What is this?”
Above and Beyond Service from NJ’s Finest
The exceptional care didn’t stop after the birth. While Kristen and baby Archer were loaded into the ambulance, a team of three local police officers stepped up to make sure the family’s transition to the hospital was seamless:
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They took over driving duties for the family’s personal vehicle, driving it directly to the medical facility.
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They went the extra mile by personally covering the hospital’s valet parking fee.
The family was safely welcomed at Hackensack University Medical Center, where both mom and baby were cleared with a clean bill of health. Little Archer’s birth certificate now officially lists his unique place of birth: New Jersey Turnpike I-95, mile marker 113.
“Archer’s healthy. He’s thriving. He’s a Jersey boy through and through,” said Kristen. “I don’t think you get more Jersey than being born on the New Jersey Turnpike.”
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