By Police1 Staff
KINGWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A New Jersey trooper was shocked to discover the driver he pulled over was the same LEO who helped deliver him nearly three decades ago.
On Friday, New Jersey State Police Trooper Michael Patterson pulled over Michael Bailly for a minor traffic violation, NBC New York reports. As the two talked, Bailly mentioned that he was a former officer in the town of Piscataway. Patterson told Bailley he’s from the same town, and when Bailly asked him which area of the town he grew up in, Patterson told him he grew up on a street called Poe Place.
That triggered a memory for Bailly.
In October 1991, Bailly, who was a rookie at the time, had helped deliver a baby on Poe Place. He said the mother was shopping when she went into labor and barely made it to her home before the baby arrived.
Bailly responded after the father called police and their doctor, who talked Bailly through the birth, according to NJ.com. Bailly said he still remembered the color and style of the house, and that the baby he delivered was named “Michael.”
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That’s when Patterson extended his hand to Bailly.
“My name is Michael Patterson, sir. Thank you for delivering me,” the trooper told Bailly.
The New Jersey State Police shared the story of the incredible chance reunion on Facebook.
“We’re not sure what the odds are of this happening — maybe they’re close to the odds of a hole-in-one, winning the lottery, or being struck by lightning — but it happened,” the department said.
After the traffic stop, Patterson and his mother visited Bailly and his wife. With 27 years gone by since the delivery, they had a lot of catching up to do.