Baby Born in Tesla in New Jersey Parking Lot on Valentine’s Day

A couple from New Jersey welcomed their son inside a Tesla parked at a QuickChek on Cliffwood Avenue in Old Bridge on Feb. 14 with assistance from a police officer and EMTs. JoJoe Philip and his wife, Kegeena Sunny, were rushing to the hospital Saturday morning when labor progressed too fast.

Philip steered into the convenience store parking lot around 11:19 a.m. after Sunny's water broke. Their baby arrived at 11:25 a.m. in the passenger seat. Just six minutes had passed since the couple left their driveway in the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen.

"It was pretty exciting," Philip said Feb. 17 from the family's home, according to MyCentralJersey.com. "I'm never going to forget this day. We couldn't be happier."

Officer Antonio Grigoli was in the parking lot next door when Philip called 911. Grigoli arrived first and began assisting the mother before township EMTs took over to deliver the boy, Ezriel Sunny Villoothara.

"Thank God Officer Nino Grigoli was in the parking lot next door," Philip said, according to MyCentralJersey.com. "He started helping right away before the EMTs stepped in."

Three off-duty EMTs heard the call while driving nearby. They stopped. EMTs Tracey M. and Jeff P., along with Supervisor Erin K., finished the delivery before transporting the mother and child to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

Both mother and baby were doing well after the delivery. The couple has a 3-year-old son at home.

Sunny works as a nurse. The couple had gone to the doctor earlier in the week and were told she would be induced on Feb. 17.

"But on Saturday morning she was having some contractions, and all of a sudden it went from zero to 100," Philip said, according to MyCentralJersey.com. "We left the driveway around 11:18 a.m., QuickChek is about two minutes away, and around 11:19 her water broke."

Old Bridge EMS posted about the birth on social media Monday night. "We at OBTEMS can officially say with absolute certainty that there IS, in fact, something BETTER than roses or chocolate that can be delivered on Valentine's Day," the EMTs said.

"For a QuickChek parking lot baby, he's pretty good," Philip said.