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911 Call: Good Samaritan Helps Save Newborn Who Isn't Breathing

MACOMB TWP. (WWJ) - For the first time, we're hearing a 911 call from a Macomb Township man who kept his cool as he helped a frantic couple that had given birth while trying to get to the hospital.

Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said 21-year old Ryan Cornelissen made the call around 10:50 a.m. March 16 after being flagged down by a hysterical father near Garfield and 22 Mile roads in Macomb Township.

Listen to the complete 911 call:

Good Samaritan 911 Call

"A guy stopped me, I think something's wrong with his wife," Cornelissen told the dispatcher. "He doesn't speak very good English. He stopped me on the side of the road."

Cornelissen said couple was en route to the hospital to have a baby, but they didn't make it in time and the woman gave birth in the car. Despite a language barrier with the couple, Cornelissen could tell that the infant wasn't breathing.

"The baby's not crying, it's not breathing right now," he said.

"You need to try to stimulate the baby's breathing, rub his back with your finger tips," the dispatcher instructed. "Hold the baby so the head is supported too, okay? Keep the head supported, we want to keep that neck and head supported."

Over the next few minutes, Dispatcher Steven Kukuk instructed Cornelissen on how to first provide rescue breaths and ultimately to give CPR to the infant. Wickersham said through the heroic efforts of the two, the child began to breathe on its own.

"Oh, yes! The baby is whimpering," Cornelissen said. "He's breathing!"

"Very good. You did a good job," Kukuk said.

At that moment, an ambulance arrived and rushed mom and baby to Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, where they're both recovering and doing just fine.

"The calm demeanor of Ryan is positively remarkable. And the excellent instructions provided by Dispatcher Kukuk are a testament to his training and professionalism," Wickersham said in a statement.

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