Baby Leo, 11 Weeks Old, Turned Blue on the Way to a Hartford Hospital, and Capitol Police Cpl. Reginald Early Got Him Breathing Again

Hayley Lebron knew something was wrong with her 11-week-old son on Tuesday night, Nov. 10. By the time the family reached Hartford, Leo had stopped breathing and his face had turned blue. His parents saw a Connecticut State Capitol Police cruiser and drove straight to it.

Inside was Cpl. Reginald Early, a police officer for more than 25 years and a father of four. He took the baby, started CPR, and Leo was breathing again before an ambulance arrived, WFSB reported.

A Congested Baby and a 20-Minute Drive

The night started with what looked like a stuffy nose. Around 9 p.m., Lebron noticed Leo seemed congested, according to FOX61. About an hour later she called the pediatrician’s office and was told a callback could take about 30 minutes. She and Leo’s father, Lex Nebbeling, decided not to wait.

Lebron told WFSB her teeth were vibrating and it felt like something was badly wrong. The couple packed up the car and sped off.

The family set out from their home in Bristol for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, a drive of about 20 minutes. Roughly 15 minutes in, just after they left the highway, Leo wheezed and then stopped breathing. Lebron told WFSB that the only thought in her head was that she could not lose her baby.

Back Blows, Then CPR on Armory Road

Early was on patrol near Armory Road and Chief Michael J. Fallon Way when the car pulled up. According to a Capitol Police announcement reported by Patch, the parents told him their child was not breathing and had turned blue.

“They were hysterical. They were crying,” Early told WTNH News 8. He said he jumped out of the cruiser, grabbed the baby and started CPR.

He described the first seconds to FOX61. The mother was screaming that her baby was not breathing and was dying, and begging him for help. Early said he took Leo right away, flipped him over, checked his airway and gave a couple of back blows.

He kept up chest compressions until Hartford firefighters and EMS crews arrived, which WTNH said took about three minutes. Police said Leo’s breathing was restored before medical crews reached him. He was taken by ambulance to Connecticut Children’s.

Why the Corporal Was Ready

Early has a personal reason for keeping his skills sharp. He told FOX61 that one of his own children was born with a condition that means he and his wife must always be ready to perform CPR.

He also credited his years of training and the support of his department. He told WTNH that the moment the parents handed him the baby, he knew they were depending on him, and he told WFSB he knew he had been trained for exactly that moment.

Capitol Police Chief Luiz Casanova praised the corporal in a statement. He said he was extremely proud of Early’s quick actions, according to WFSB. In a separate FOX61 report, Casanova added that Early’s response is a great example of the dedication and professionalism Capitol Police officers bring to their jobs every day.

The Capitol Police force’s main job is protecting the Connecticut General Assembly, its staff and visitors. On Tuesday night, the person who needed him most was 11 weeks old.

What Doctors Found

Early did not know at the time that Leo had bronchiolitis, WTNH reported, a lung infection that had stopped his breathing. The American Academy of Pediatrics describes bronchiolitis as a common breathing infection that makes a baby’s smallest airways swell and clog, and it happens most often in infants because their airways are so small. RSV is one of several viruses that cause it, according to HealthyChildren.org.

The AAP says it often starts like an ordinary cold, with a runny nose, a mild cough and fever. Over a day or two the cough can worsen and breathing can speed up. Signs of real trouble include flaring nostrils, the muscles under the ribs pulling in, grunting, wheezing, trouble drinking, and a bluish tint around the lips and fingertips. Leo’s parents saw several of those signs within a single evening.

The AAP also tells parents to watch for dehydration in a sick baby: drinking less than normal, a dry mouth, crying without tears and urinating less often. Any of those, or any sign of trouble breathing, is a reason to call the pediatrician.

Doctors at Connecticut Children’s were still running tests on Wednesday. His parents said he was feeding well and doing much better, and they hoped he could come home within a few days.

A Hospital Visit the Next Morning

Early did not leave it at the roadside. He visited the family at the hospital the next morning, WTNH reported. Early told the station he wants to watch Leo grow up and flourish.

He has also been careful to share the credit. “It was a team effort, and because of that team effort, baby Leo is here today,” he told FOX61.

Leo’s parents see it more simply. Nebbeling told WTNH that Early brought his son back to life. “He saved him. He absolutely saved him,” he said.

Lebron called the corporal “a hero, like a guardian angel,” and told FOX61 the family has no words for how grateful they are.

Police officers keep turning up at these moments. In New York, two Bronx officers were flagged down by a crying mom holding her unconscious baby, and one kept up back blows until the boy cried. For Leo’s family, a patrol car parked a few minutes from the hospital made all the difference.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: M.M.Dwyer – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons