An infant stopped breathing and turned blue near Armory Road and Michael J. Fallon Way in Hartford on Tuesday, and the child's panicked parents drove up to a patrolling police officer for help. Cpl. Reginald Early immediately began CPR, and the infant's breathing returned before emergency medical personnel even reached the scene.
According to WFSB, Early was on patrol near Armory Road and Michael J. Fallon Way when the parents arrived, telling him their child was not breathing and had turned blue. Police said Early's actions restored the infant's breathing before paramedics could get there. As WTNH reported, the infant was then transported to Connecticut Children's for additional evaluation and treatment.
Chief Praises Officer's Quick Response
Capitol Police Chief Luiz Casanova said he was extremely proud of Early's quick actions during the emergency, according to the WFSB report. Casanova described the officer's response as an example of the dedication and professionalism Capitol Police officers bring to their jobs, and the department said the incident reflected its officers' broader commitment to protecting and serving the public.
Connecticut State Capitol Police officers are primarily responsible for protecting the state General Assembly along with its employees and visitors, the station notes, a mission that typically keeps them stationed around the Capitol complex rather than responding to medical emergencies on residential streets. Tuesday's call put Early in exactly the kind of life-or-death moment that mission doesn't usually anticipate.
A Separate Hartford Case Highlights Ambulance Delays
The incident echoes a distinct episode in Hartford in which officers and firefighters themselves had to rush a critically ill infant to the hospital. In that case, described by NBC Connecticut, officers and firefighters responded to 30 Rosemont St. just after 6 a.m. for a report of an unresponsive infant. A police report from that incident stated an ambulance could not respond in a reasonable amount of time, and the baby was listed in critical condition.
That Rosemont Street case remains a separate matter from Tuesday's emergency near Armory Road, but both underscore how quickly bystanders, officers, or whoever happens to be nearby can become a baby's first line of defense. For the family Early helped on Tuesday, that first line of defense turned out to be a Capitol Police officer who happened to be patrolling the right street at the right moment.
