City transit officials on Friday celebrated the safe delivery of a baby girl on a Brooklyn bus.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and Chief Executive Officer Janno Lieber and New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow commended the actions of bus operator Christopher Accettulli, a 20-year veteran of the MTA, who safely helped deliver a healthy baby girl onboard a B37 bus in Gowanus.
At approximately 9:59am on Friday, Accettulli was operating a B37 bus at 3 Avenue and 9th Street in Gowanus when he heard a female customer repeatedly say “hospital.” The bus operator called the Bus Command Center and 911 for assistance, and while the bus was stationary, approached the female customer who was in labor. He then helped deliver the baby on board the bus, with the assistance of emergency responders on the phone, and wrapped the newborn in his coat.
The bus operator was then rapidly joined by Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services and Police Department officials. EMS transported the baby girl and mother to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital – both in good condition.
“The baby was crying and the EMT came, and the baby is good,” Accettulli said in a statement. “That’s all I thought about was making sure the baby was ok. Everything else was secondary for me.”
MTA workers rise to the occasion no matter what is coming their way, said Lieber.
“Whether it’s snow or a baby, our transit workers always step up for New Yorkers. Our workforce is the heart and soul of the MTA," he said.
