WASHINGTON – One of the newest babies born in Arlington County acquired a unique middle name Wednesday evening, honoring the police officer who helped deliver her in the middle of rush hour traffic.
Arlington County Police Corporal Steve Troyano was making a traffic stop in the 5300 block of Columbia Pike around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday when another motorist flagged him down.
A frantic family member asked Troyano to help her sister who was in the backseat of a nearby SUV in the middle of labor.
Troyano contacted the mother-to-be and saw that the baby’s head was crowning and she was ready for delivery.
The 6 pound, 3 ounce baby girl was delivered at 6:41 p.m. with the umbilical cord around her neck.
After removing the cord from the baby’s neck and stimulation, she began coughing and was wrapped in a towel until the ambulance arrived.
The first medic arrived at 6:45 p.m. and took the healthy baby girl and mother to the hospital.
The family informed Arlington County Police Department that they have given the baby girl the middle name of “Stephanie” in honor of Troyano.
“It’s a great honor, it’s really nice,” Troyano says of the middle name.
He says the experience was pretty amazing and a little surreal.
“I’m pretty sure this is going to be a story for my retirement party one day,” Troyano says.
It was the first time Troyano, an 11-and-a-half-year veteran of the police force, delivered a baby. He was an EMT before joining the police department.
In other news, the other motorist stopped by Troyano was let go with a warning.
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