An unlikely place but yet the birth place of one couple's first child

Some unusual things have been known to happen on the trains in New York but seldom do they involve celebratory moments. One family can attest to the ride of their life marked by the birth of their first child on board.

Harrison, New Jersey resident Rabita Sarkar, 31, felt pains that resembled contractions but she had misgivings because her baby was not yet due. Cautious, her 30-year old husband insisted on a trip into the city Monday to be safe.

Not wanting to drive into the city, the couple opted instead to take the PATH commuter train. From the train they could take a taxi to the doctor’s offices in Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hospital but the baby had a somewhat different agenda.

Sarker noticed during the course of the train rife that her pains began coming more quickly. At this point, realizing what was probably about to happen, she asked her husband to check on what was happening. After a quick peek, he informed her that the baby’s head was visible.

A female passenger offered assistance and guided the husband, identified in other published reports as Aditya Saurabh, through the delivery of the couple’s son. The baby was born at 10 A.M. while other passengers offered encouragement. A young girl volunteered her own jacket to keep the infant warm. Given the winter temperature outside the train of 30 degrees, the gift was a generous and critical one.

PATH officials, alerted to the vents unfolding on the train, made the decision to turn the train into an express which allowed it to bypass a number of otherwise regular stops. It also enabled the train to reach its final destination at 33rd St in midtown Manhattan more quickly where emergency personnel were waiting to meet the train. The family was ushered to the hospital.

Sgt. Mike Barry expressed that the biggest concern was keeping the baby warm during the transport to the hospital, given the cold outside. . “We know that baby’s body temperature is going to drop like a rock,” he said.

One of the officers on the scene knew exactly what the couple was experiencing. His own son, impatient to make his entrance into the world and Dad, Officer Atiba Joseph-Cumberbatch had to deliver him on his own too.

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