Bridgeport Officer Credited With Helping Save Toddler's Life

A toddler is alive and well today after a Bridgeport officer helped rush the boy to the hospital after finding him unconscious in the backseat of his parents’ car, according to police.

Police said Officer Michael Novia was on patrol near Park Avenue on Tuesday when a woman waved him over and told him her child wasn’t breathing.

Novia approached the car and saw the 18-month-old boy unresponsive in the backseat.

Police said the boy and his family are from the Bronx and had spent the day at the beach in Seaside Park. The child, Dylan, had shown "signs of distress" throughout the evening.

Dylan's parents called 911 and brought him out to the car. They were "disoriented" and looking for a hospital when they spotted Novia and flagged him down, police said.

Novia radioed dispatch, who contacted medical personnel at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center, then turned on his lights and siren and told the family to follow him to the hospital, police said.

Dylan was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital and is listed in good condition.

Personnel at Saint Vincent’s told police that the toddler likely would not have survived had they waited for an ambulance to arrive, according to police.

Novia was recognized at police headquarters at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

“We called the hospital this morning and I am so happy to report Dylan is in good condition. I have four sons and I can’t imagine being in that situation,” Mayor Bill Finch said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “I want to thank Officer Novia and all of our police officers. The reality is that were it not for that actions of this officer, a family could be mourning the death of a child. Instead, we have hope and good news from doctors.”

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