San Francisco, Calif., Jan 6, 2013 / 13:02 pm
Quick thinking by two San Francisco police officers, who drove a dying newborn to the hospital in the front seat of their patrol car, is credited with saving the baby's life.
Officers Steve Gritsch and Matt Cloud are "absolute genuine heroes," said Police Chief Greg Suhr. "Baby boy Nash is alive today because of the quick thinking of these officers."
Gritsch performed CPR holding the newborn on his lap in the front seat of the car while his partner drove to San Francisco General Hospital, where an emergency room team was prepped and waiting.
"It was interesting in a small space and we were sliding around pretty good, but it worked out I guess," said Gritsch, who had been an EMT and firefighter for about four years in the Santa Rosa area before joining the police department.
Gritsch is a five year veteran of the police department and Cloud has been a San Francisco police officer for seven years.