NJ Trooper Wasn’t Prepared to Meet the Man He Pulled Over – Undertone (Bottom Adhesion)
We all tend to get into a routine when it comes to the daily grind. It’s the one constant you can count on in many jobs.
But every now and then something out of the ordinary pulls you out of the mundane, puts a smile on your face, and has the potential to warm your heart.
As a dutiful member of his squad and a conscientious individual, State Trooper Michael Patterson did his job with pride and efficiency.
When the state trooper pulled over a white BMW, there was no reason to believe this driver would be any different from the next, and there was no way he could have been prepared for the events that followed.
On The Job
Patterson’s job was highway patrol. In your average day a highway patrol officer can expect to pull over a few cars, and maybe issue a few infringements.
For the most part things go smoothly, and there is no reason to believe anything should escalate in the New Jersey area that Patterson patrols.
On The Job
Highway patrol in Patterson’s jurisdiction of the New Jersey area is pretty routine, with minimal to no stories to tell at the end of the day. After the events of that day, however, there would be much to share.
The Pull Over
Sitting safely in his spot on the Kingswood Township Highway, State Trooper Patterson surveyed the passing traffic.
There are general traffic violations that the public is familiar with, we have all experienced a speeding fine, or know someone with a broken tail light; but Patterson’s patrol eye caught an infringement of a different kind.
While on watch Patterson noticed a white BMW.
The Pull Over
Patterson’s trained eye caught that the windows of the vehicle were illegally tinted.
This infraction was cause for a ticket, and that was Patterson’s only intention when he pulled over the white BMW; issue the ticket, and move on.
An Old Pro
Patterson went about the usual procedure, taking the information of the driver and informing him of the situation.
Buying time, or maybe trying to get out of a ticket, the driver started talking with Patterson. He told Patterson that he himself was on the force and had retired a while back. Patterson couldn’t resist a conversation with a retired officer.
An Old Pro
Pattersons life-long regard for the force made him an eager listener to the stories of the retired officer.
The retiree was more than happy to reminisce about his days in the force, especially if it could get him out of a ticket.
Shared Experiences
It turned out that the driver, Matthew Bailly, had not only been a police officer, but he had been an officer in Piscataway. Piscataway is a small township in New Jersey. One of the kinds of towns where everyone knows one another.
Patterson, a little taken aback, told Bailly that he was from Piscataway himself. Interesting, but not quite odd.
Shared Experiences
With their new-found connection of a shared stomping ground, the two talked about the town and the force.
They went back and forth sharing stories, Patterson being particularly interested in stories from the retired officers rookie days.
Reminiscing
After years on the force even an interesting story can seem like an every-day occurrence, but as a rookie cop you are experiencing everything for the first time. Some things become expected and mundane, but some stories stay with you forever.
Bailly quickly shared one of his most impactful stories with Patterson. Patterson listened intently to the details.
Reminiscing
It is not everyday that you pull over a retired police-man, and Patterson was taken aback by the details of Bailly’s story.
Bailly had found a good audience with a personal connection and quickly shared his experience.
The Unplanned Birth
In 1991, Matthew Bailly had been on the force for a while, but he had definitely had not seen it all just yet.
Every cop has their story that is etched into their minds forever, and for Matthew Bailly that story happened right in the hometown of the officer standing in front of him on that June day.
The Unplanned Birth
The call that came in on the night of October 5th was from a nervous husband, calling for assistance with his wife.
The woman had gone into unplanned labor at their residential home, and the first timers were desperate for help.
The Rookie Cop’s Rescue Mission
Bailly was more than ready, but not at all prepared to help the desperate couple deliver their child.
As a police officer you come across many situations that you could not imagine yourself in otherwise, but you jump at the opportunity to be of service. In the 30 years that Matthew Bailly served on the force, he would not forget that night.
The Rookie Cop’s Rescue Mission
Only four years into his service, the young police officer jumped into action when they received the emergency call over the police radio.
The call had come from the husband who was alone in aiding his wife at their home in Piscataway.
A Surprise Delivery
The woman had been out doing her groceries. Well into her third trimester, very ready to give birth, she was still hoping to enjoy some time before the baby arrived.
In the middle of her shopping she began to experience intense pain, and realised it was go time, earlier than expected. She drove herself home, calling her husband with a heads up.
A Surprise Delivery
Getting home, she met her husband and the two knew there was no choice, the baby would be coming in it’s own time, right now, at home.
They called the police for backup immediately. The night would go down in history for everyone.
Collecting the Puzzle Pieces
Bailly told his story in the manner that you would expect from a retired police officer. He got all the right details in there, while getting to the point quickly.
It was an exciting story with no need for any fluff or embellishment. From start to finish the story, just like the labor, didn’t take long, but had its impact.
Collecting the Puzzle Pieces
Bailly noticed the look on the state trooper’s face. The story was a classic for the retired police officer, and it was definitely a crowd pleaser.
But there was something else other than general interest on the state trooper’s face.
Something Sounds Familiar
During the story State Trooper Patterson was hanging on every word. He could not believe that he was hearing this story from someone who had experienced it first hand. What was more curious was one detail in particular.
During the story Bailly had shared the name of the street where the baby was delivered that fateful night. Patterson had to double check.
Something Sounds Familiar
In fact, the street where the incident took place, was the very same street that Patterson himself had grown up on.
Not only had he grown up on Poe St, but he was born there, too. Patterson had his own story to tell.
Putting it All Together
In Patterson’s time on patrol he had not met anyone from the force, current or retired. Neither had he met anyone from Piscataway.
Here he was standing with a retired officer whose beat was his hometown, hearing a story that happened on his very street, the street where he was born and raised. The story was very familiar to Patterson.
Putting it All Together
He himself was born in 1991, on Poe Street, in his own strange circumstances. He looked at the retired officer and wondered if their stories were connected, the infringement ticket long forgotten. There was only one thing left to ask.
The Make or Break Question
Patterson stood beside the white BMW, ready to ask a simple question. What was the baby’s name? Bailly, who had told the story over and over, was not used to being asked that particular question, but of course had the name etched in his mind.
When you are a part of such a bonding experience, you never forget the details.
The Make or Break Question
The baby’s name was Michael, and he was delivered right there on Poe Street on October 5th, 1992.
The details all matched up, and State Trooper Michael Patterson was overwhelmed to share his story with the retired officer.
The Big Reveal
Quickly, almost in one breath, Patterson told Bailly, ‘That was me, I was that baby.’ Patterson immediately extended his hand to Bailly, who was still sitting in his car. Bailly took the whole thing for a joke.
It would be an easy joke to make, the trooper did live on the same street and looked to be about that age.
The Big Reveal
But the state trooper was completely serious, and repeated that he was, in fact, the baby that Bailly had helped deliver as a rookie back in 1991.
The two were completely shocked and amazed at the incredible coincidence that day.
Complete Shock
The first words to fly out of Matthew Bailly’s mouth when he heard the news were ‘Get the hell out!’. It seemed impossible that after so many tellings of this story, that he had just told it to the very baby he had delivered.
What were the odds of the two of them meeting on that highway on that average summer’s day?
Complete Shock
The two warmly shook hands as Bailly continued to process the new information. It was not the kind of thing you could easily grasp, shaking hands with the baby that you delivered 27 years ago.
Patterson had definitely gotten more than he had bargained for.
So Grateful
Michael Patterson had grown up hearing the story of the night he was born. His mother had been out doing grocery shopping, and she had come home to her husband just in time.
All their birthing plans went out the window when little Michael decided it was his time to enter the world, and nothing was going to stop him.
So Grateful
The New Jersey police were at the scene in no time, ready to help the family welcome their new addition to Poe Street where they would settle, and tell the story of his birth every year on his birthday.
A Matter of Fate
The story of Michael’s delivery that took police assistance is a story all on its own. Now, almost 30 years later, the seemingly random reunion is enough to give anyone goosebumps.
Tinted windows is an easy offence to miss, but Michael’s dedication to his job gave him a keen eye for detail. With a birth story like that, feels a lot like fate.
A Matter of Fate
Many little kids dream of being a police officer, but this little boy had his own, personal path to the force.
Michael always felt that his birth story gave him a special connection to the force, and he never took his eye off that ball.
Telling the Family
Both Patterson and Bailly were extremely excited to tell their families. As Bailly came to terms with the reality that he was talking with ‘the’ Michael, he could not wait to tell his wife.
As a police officer you rarely get to see the product of your efforts, and here it was 27 years on. Bailly couldn’t help but feel proud.
Telling the Family
Patterson was excited to tell his family that he had found the officer who had helped them in their time of need all those years ago; the officer that made sure that their baby boy was brought safely into this world.
A Slight Hiccup
Both families were completely stunned with the news, and had the same reaction. Bailly’s wife asked if they had swapped information, and the Pattersons were desperate to get in touch with the former officer.
A Slight Hiccup
The two had not swapped information. In their excitement, Patterson had waived the ticket, the two had shaken hands, and parted ways.
Luckily, Patterson remembered that he had taken Baily’s details for the infringement that he never filed.
Patterson was also fitted out with police standard gear, including his camera that captured the entire exchange.
The Emotional Reunion
Respecting Bailly’s privacy, Patterson opted to write a heartfelt letter of appreciation to his home address. In the letter he asked if the officer would like to reunite with the Patterson family.
Matthew Bailly embraced the unique opportunity that every officer’s hope to see the fruit of their labor.
The Emotional Reunion
After twenty seven years, Patterson’s mother had the opportunity to reunite with the officer that helped her bring her son into the world. Bailly told reporters, “I think a greater power somehow made that meeting happen and I’m not sure where it’s going to take us, and I’m willing to go on the journey.”
Here is the full interview on Video
*sources: CBS, Washington Post, ABC news, Charlotteobserver, Youtube