It was a scene out of a movie.
Ivan Albarracin was trying to rush his pregnant wife Maria Vera to the hospital. However, they couldn't make it.
Maria went into labor on the side of the road. After a harrowing process with NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) officers assisting, the Albarracins had a baby girl just outside the Queens-Midtown Tunnel on the Long Island Expressway.
They named her Alie after the road where she was born.
In the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, the Albarracins were driving down the Long Island Expressway (LIE) to get Maria to the hospital. Despite speeding down the road, the couple realized the baby was already crowing.
They weren't going to make it. So they pulled over and were soon joined by MTA Bridges and Tunnels officers who assisted with the birth.
In tribute, her name includes LIE to create the unique spelling for Alie Albarracin.
But not everyone agrees with the name choice.
Near the entrance to the Queens-Midtown tunnel, Ivan pulled over and flagged down the MTA officer.
"I pulled over—before he pulled me over—and said 'please help.'"
Lt. Harry Persad, who has emergency medical experience, assisted the couple with the delivery. There were lucky, as it only took three pushes for the baby to come out.
People thought there were worse options for a name.
Persad explained:
"Basically, I coached the mother and father through the birth. He caught the baby when the baby came out."
But something was wrong and the baby wasn't breathing. Despite this, when the child's nose and mouth were blocked by amniotic fluid, Lt. Persad calmly walked them through the process of clearing her airway.
"When the baby came out, the father and the mother were panicked because the baby wasn't crying. I told them what he had to do, and he was hands-on. As soon as the baby started crying, they were delighted,"
After the birth, the couple with baby Alie were taken to Bellevue Hospital to ensure mother and baby were healthy. The couple had picked out the name Aurora, but after their adventure, decided on something more appropriate.
So Aurora became Alie, after the LIE where she was born.
The Albarracins have two other children, a 13 year old daughter and a 1 year old son. But this is their first to be born on the side of the road with an MTA officer as midwife.