A concerned mom called New Haven police Monday evening worried that her son had left their apartment armed with a shotgun.

She told officers the teen seemed tense and upset and had walked out carrying a duffel bag.

"She certainly didn't see into the bag, but she felt what she thought was a shotgun. It was, in fact, a Mossberg 600 sawed-off shotgun illegally modified in that regard," said New Haven police spokesman Officer Dave Hartman.

Officers were able to track down the 17-year-old with his mom's help and ended up finding him on Garden Street near Edgewood Avenue. Police said they found the teen with the shotgun and a stolen SUV.

"Just her trusting us that we would handle it properly, and quite possibly prevent something horrible from happening was impressive," said Hartman.

The teen and a friend were arrested and face multiple charges. Police said they know this mom made a tough decision to call police on her own son, but they are thankful.

"She didn't want to see her son hurt. She didn't want to see anyone else hurt," said Hartman.
 

A bipartisan group of legislators called variable electric rates predatory, deceptive and bad for consumers during the introduction of SB-573, a bill that would ban variable rate contracts in Connecticut.

"No variable rates," said State Rep. Lonnie Reed. "That’s what we’re saying."

People typically sign these contracts thinking they’ll save money, but after an introductory period, the once-low rates can quickly spike. Consumers don’t usually find out until they see the bill.

The Troubleshooters have investigated these practices before, finding some residents paid three times more on their third-party electric bill than they would have had they stayed with default companies like Eversource and United Illuminating.

But Reed said enough is enough.

"We want those bad actors to either clean up their act or get out of town," she said.

Elin Katz of the Office of Consumer Counsel agrees. She said most of the complaints coming into her office have to do with variable rates.

"I think that’s a very positive step forward and I’m excited about it," said Katz. "I hope it passes."

Still, she said, even if the new law comes into play, consumers should pay close attention to their bills. Check your statement at least every other month and make sure you know what you’re paying in kilowatt per hour.

"And my last bit of advice is never give out your account number over the phone, or to someone at the door, unless you’ve decided you want to switch," said Katz. "Because we have seen some instances of slamming unauthorized switching on people."

NBC Connecticut reached out to some third-party companies like Xoom Energy, Discount Power and Connecticut Gas and Electric, but they did not get back to us.

New questions are arising about the cost of Hartford's new $56 million ballpark. Chief among them: where is the money going?

The NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters got new insight from city auditors during their May 2015 monthly meeting.

An expert who worked on several major league baseball parks is reviewing every expense incurred by the developer of Hartford's minor league stadium.

Invoices so far indicate crews are billing for everything from portable toilets to coffee, creamer and sweetener, and even pens, staplers and envelopes.

It's all permitted in the development agreement. Auditors did express concern over leasing three Ford F-150's instead of buying them, and giving them to the city when the stadium is done next year.

Auditors say the project's developer has an incentive to come under budget. It gets to keep roughly half of whatever funding is not used.

The Bronx Zoo has some adorable, pint-sized new penguins.

The Wildlife Conservation Society announced Wednesday that a colony of little penguins is being introduced in the zoo’s aquatic bird house.

The birds, known for their short statures and bluish hue, are native to Australia and New Zealand. Fittingly, little penguins are the smallest of the 18 penguin species, with adults reaching just 13 inches in height and 2 to 3 pounds in weight.

They penguins were hatched in the Taronga Zoo in Sydney and were brought to the Bronx Zoo as part of a breeding program.

The Bronx Zoo is one of just three zoos in the United States with the penguins.

A 31-year-old convicted felon is facing charges after investigators found 64 marijuana plants, heroin, steroids, a 9mm handgun and several high-capacity magazines at his home in South Windsor on Wednesday, according to police.

Members of the East Central Narcotics Task Force searched the property at 260 Beelzebub Road in South Windsor after learning of a marijuana growing operation at the home, according to police.

Police arrested Jason Robert Robinson, 31, after the search turned up 64 marijuana plants, several packets of heroin, a bottle of anabolic steroids, growing equipment, drug paraphernalia, a 9mm Smith and Wesson handgun and five high-capacity magazines, authorities said.

Robinson was charged with growing marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana, possession of narcotics, operating a drug factory, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of steroids and illegal possession of high-capacity magazines.

His bond was set at $250,000.

An accused prostitute is facing charges after police say she tried to sell a 15-year-old girl for sex in West Hartford.

Authorities arrested Kayla M. Cadieux, 27, of Hartford, on May 18 after they caught her trafficking the teen during an undercover bust in the area of 103 Raymond Road, according to police.

Cadieux was charged with trafficking of persons, prostitution, promoting prostitution, risk of injury to a minor, obscenity as to minors and employing a minor in an obscene performance.

Her bond was set at $27,000 and she was given a court date of May 28.

In response to calls from citizens worried about exploding air bags, state government officials held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to help residents navigate the massive Takata recall announced Tuesday.

"Residents may understandably be concerned," said Gov. Dannel Malloy. "There is no need for immediate panic."

But there is need, he said, for immediate action – checking the recall list through Safercar.gov. The automakers involved include BMW, Chrysler, Daimler trucks, Ford, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota.

Officials are urging residents whose VIN numbers appear on the recall list to make an appointment at a local dealership right away.

"Make those appointments if you happen to be one of those vehicles that fall under the recall so that way, in the event that there are shortages, at the very least, they will be able to move those replacement parts to those dealers that already have those appointments," Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Andres Ayala advised.

Officials stressed the importance of patience when checking the list of affected vehicles.

"Go online like I did, and hopefully at some point, more successfully than I did," said Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan Harris. "Make sure that you know if you’re affected, and to take the steps with your dealer and otherwise to be safe. Be patient but vigilant.”

Malloy reminded residents to follow-up and check the list again in a few days. He expects repairs prompted by the recall will be free of charge.

Two drivers were taken to the hospital after a school bus collided with a mail truck on Mountain Road in Suffield around 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to police.

Police said no children were on board the bus. Both drivers were taken to the hospital in unknown condition.

Suffield police said the bus is operated by the First Student Bus Company. It's not clear where it was heading at the time.

Mountain Road has been closed between Sheldon Street and South Grand Street but police said they expect to reopen the road shortly. The bus has been towed from the scene.

A spokesperson for First Student said company officials are investigating the crash. The driver has been removed from service during the investigation, which is standard procedure.

First Student said it's unknown whether a mechanical issue may have played a part in the collision.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

A federal grand jury indicted the gyrocopter pilot who landed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on six charges.

Douglas Hughes, 61, of Ruskin, Florida, faces up to nine and a half years in prison. He is charged with two felonies — operating as an airman without an airman’s certificate and violating registration requirements involving aircraft — and four misdemeanors. The misdemeanors include three counts of violation of national defense airspace and one count of operating a vehicle falsely labeled as a postal carrier.

Hughes steered his small gyrocopter through protected Washington airspace for 30 miles from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to the U.S. Capitol April. He apparently wanted to draw attention to campaign finance corruption.

Hughes flew through three no-fly zones, according to the government.

He was on leave from the U.S. Postal Service when he made his flight, but the gyrocopter bore the logo and emblem of the U.S. Postal Service without authorization.

Hughes has been free on personal recognizance and on home detention in Florida since the incident. Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

When four college students from Fairfield grabbed their fishing poles Wednesday and headed for Long Island Sound, they never expected what came next.

Schofield Campbell, Charlie DeNatale, Ryan Bard and Brendan Miner were fishing off the Fairfield coast around 3:15 p.m. Wednesday when they spotted a group of light gray forms underwater.

Those forms turned out to be whales, and they seemed to be following the boat. Video shows the marine mammals approach the boat and swim alongside it, breaching several times before disappearing back into the sea.

Miner said the group contacted Norwalk's Maritime Aquarium and showed experts the footage. The aquarium identified the whales as Belugas, which were also recently spotted near Naragansett Bay, according to Miner.

"Have there ever been whales in Long Island Sound?" one of the students wonders in the video.

According to state officials, yes. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says whales, porpoises and dolphins occasionally visit the sound.

Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is expected to appear in court Thursday to be arraigned on a witness intimidation charge.

It will be Hernandez's first public appearance since he was sentenced to life in prison for the 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd.

Hernandez was indicted May 8 on a charge of witness intimidation for allegedly shooting a witness to the 2012 homicides of Daniel de Abreu and Safrio Furtado in Boston's South End. Hernandez was previously indicted on two counts of first-degree murder and assault and weapons charges in connection with the double murder.

The shooting victim has not been identified, but Hernandez's former friend Alexander Bradley filed a lawsuit against him saying that Hernandez shot him in the face following an argument at a Miami strip club.

Scheduling matters may also be addressed at Thursday's hearing, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Suffolk Superior Court.

In a separate hearing Thursday, Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward, is due to go before a judge in New Bedford to ask for a preliminary injunction barring the sale of Hernandez's Hummer. Ward has sued Hernandez, and her lawyers have been trying to track down his assets. The Hummer turned up for sale in a used car lot this month.

Hernandez is currently being held in Souza-Baranowski prison in Shirley, Massachusetts, a maximum-security institution. 

According to a CNN report, Hernandez got in trouble this week after serving as a lookout for another inmate during a prison fight. Hernandez and the two inmates who fought are reportedly being disciplined.

A man barricaded himself in an Ansonia apartment Wednesday, then yelled at officers and told them to stop knocking because he was trying to sleep, according to police.

Ansonia police spokesman Lt. Andrew Cota said the incident unfolded around 11 a.m. when the man, whose name has not been released, assaulted a teenage girl in the parking lot of the Beaver Brook Apartments on Beaver Street.

The man then tried to assault another resident before entering a neighbor's apartment and barricading himself inside. When officers knocked on the apartment door, the man yelled at them to leave him alone and said he was trying to sleep, according to police.

The standoff ended peacefully when the man surrendered and was taken into custody.

Police said they expect to release more information about the arrest on Thursday.

Eight teenagers were hurt or became sick when a whale watch boat hit rough waters Wednesday off the coast of Massachusetts.

There were 112 passengers on board the Captain John and Son II when it departed from Plymouth around 5:30 p.m. The boat's captain reported the seas were up six to eight feet with a 20 knot wind after it reached Stellwagon Bank.

Some of the passengers sustained cuts and bruises, while others were very sea sick. One or two people fainted.

According to Plymouth's harbormaster, no adults were injured.

Among the passengers was a class of high school students from New York.

EMS responded to the scene. The passengers were treated on board.

Eight patients from the boat were taken to the emergency room at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth.

Stay with necn as this story develops.

Firefighters from more than half a dozen towns are fighting a large barn fire on Bolton Center Road in Bolton, according to emergency dispatchers.

Dispatchers said crews from Bolton, Columbia, Andover, Coventry, Hebron, Marlborough, Glastonbury and Tolland were called to 266 Bolton Center Road just after 10 p.m.

Tolland public safety officials said the town is sending two tankers to the scene.

It's not clear if animals were inside the barn when the fire broke out.

According to connecticutbarns.org, a site devoted to the preservation of historic barns around the state, 266 Bolton Center Road is the site of Bolton Heritage Farm.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Cassie the service dog has a habit of helping people. But now she's the one who needs help.

The American Red Cross Disaster K-9 from Connecticut slipped and hyperextended her legs, according to owner Micahel Ranieri. She needs surgery, but since the Red Cross program is funded exclusively by donations, the money just isn't there.

"She is the most lovable and wonderful dog and will do anything to make you feel good, find you or just comfort you from stress," Ranieri wrote on a fundraising page set up to cover Cassie's medical expenses.

Cassie helps with disaster relief and the armed forces, works as a therapy dog, participates in school programs and works closely with the community. Rainieri said Cassie's injuries are preventing her from being able to do her job properly.

Rainieri's fundraising goal is $8,000. He said the money will go toward Cassie's surgery, anestheia, bloodwork, vet visits and ongoing physical therapy. So far, he's raised $560.

Donate to Cassie's surgery fund here.

Police identified a suspect in the quadruple homicide in the expensive Woodley Park neighborhood in northwest D.C.

Daron Dylon Wint, 34, is wanted on an arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder while armed.

Police believe three family members — including a 10-year-old boy — and their housekeeper were killed May 14, the day someone delivered $40,000 in cash to a multimillion-dollar house.

The family had likely been kept bound and threatened overnight, sources tell News4. The cash had been withdrawn from an account at the company where one of the victims was CEO, the sources said.

Sometime after the cash arrived, the home was set on fire, leading to the discovery of the bodies.

The news of a cash delivery is the latest revelation in a case that seems almost unimaginable in its brutality and in its location. It happened in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW in Woodley Park, a neighborhood of security systems and landscaped lawns just blocks from the vice president's home and near the National Cathedral. 

Savvas Savopoulos, 46; his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47; their son, Philip; and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57, were found dead after the home was set on fire. Three of the victims had been beaten and stabbed to death, and some of the bodies smelled of gasoline, police said.

Philip's body was so badly burned that investigators aren't sure if he was injured before the fire was set, sources close to the investigation said. Philip's body was found in his room; three other bodies were found on the floor in one room.

The family Porsche was found burning in a church parking lot in suburban Maryland. The most-publicized clue so far: the grainy image of a person leaving the scene of the car fire, wearing black clothing.

Message from the Housekeeper

Savopoulos was the CEO of American Iron Works, which helped build the Verizon Center and CityCenterDC. Savopoulos and his wife, Amy, were well known in the neighborhood, often hosting parties for neighbors and friends, according to The Washington Post; the family had attended St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the neighborhood. Philip was a fourth-grader at St. Albans, the private school near St. Sophia and the National Cathedral; two daughters, Abigail and Katerina, were away at private boarding schools.

Neighbors who have been in the home said the family had an extensive and valuable art collection, which was on display a couple of years ago during the Christmas house tour put on by St. Albans.

The timeline of events that investigators are working from seems to match information from a longtime housekeeper for the Savopoulos family, who said she was a good friend of Veralicia "Vera" Figueroa. 

Nelly, who didn't want her full name used for security reasons, owns her own cleaning company and worked for the family for more than two decades. Nelly allowed Figueroa to work with her at the Savopoulos family's home.

On that Wednesday, Figueroa texted Nelly to say she wanted to work at the home, and planned to finish by 3 p.m., Nelly told News4.

That evening, Nelly missed a call from Savvas Savopoulos, saying Figueroa was spending the night at the family's home. She heard the call on voice mail the next morning.

An Eerie Encounter

Nelly said Figueroa's husband went to the home Thursday morning to look for her and had an eerie encounter. No one answered the door when he knocked on it, but he told Nelly he had the feeling someone was standing just inside the closed door.

He went around the back of the house to knock again. As he did, Nelly said, Savopoulos called his cell phone. Savopoulos said Figueroa was OK and had spend the night, according to Nelly.

The fire at the home was reported about four hours later.

Nelly said Figueroa was hard-working and loved life. She'd come to the United States from El Salvador to earn money before planning to retire next year.

A GoFundMe page was created to help with her funeral costs.

Throughout the week, ATF agents and D.C. police have continued to gather evidence at the Woodley Park home. Meanwhile, in New Carrollton, authorities used a bloodhound to try to track down the person who torched a 2008 blue Porsche 911 stolen from the home on the day of the fire.

The Porsche was burned in the parking lot of St. Christopher's Episcopal Church. That's where surveillance video of a person of interest in the case was captured on a camera at a nearby banquet hall.

The person is difficult to see in the video. The person is dressed in dark clothing, including a hoodie with the hood pulled up.

• WATCH the police video here

Meanwhile, neighbors and friends are mourning the family -- and left dreading the idea of what they endured in the hours they may have been held captive in their own home.

"This was a beautiful family, a wonderful family with children," said Coco Palomeque, a friend of Amy's. She described Amy as "beautiful, vibrant, full of life and full of energy --ready to jump into any project to help others, to help her community."

"The community where they lived really loves them, and we are here to support them if they need us," she said.

Staff members Pat Collins, Meagan Fitzgerald, Mark Segraves were among those who contributed to this report.

President Barack Obama delivered the keynote commencement address at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, focusing on the threat climate change poses on security risk, and calling on the world to start reducing its carbon emissions now.

"The best scientists in the world know that climate change is happening," Obama said during his half-hour-long speech. "Our analysts in the intelligence community know it's happening. Our military leaders – generals and admirals, active duty and retired – know it's happening. Our homeland security professionals know it is happening, and our Coast Guard knows it is happening. The science is indisputable."

The president thanked the newly commission Ensigns in advance for their service, absolved all cadets serving restrictions for minor offenses.

"America needs you and we need the Coast Guard more than ever," he said. "We need you to safeguard our ports against all threats, including terrorism. We need you to respond in times of disaster or distress and lead your rescue teams as you jump out of perfectly good helicopters."

From there, the president told the cadets that there is an "urgent need" to combat and adapt to climate change.

"Cadets, the threat of a changing climate cuts to the very core of your service," Obama said.

He called climate change a "severe" threat and said no nation is immune.

The serious threat it poses to national security will impact how the military protects this country, said Obama, who called the issue is one of the leading priorities discussed when he meets with global leaders.

"We need to act and we need to act now," he said. "Denying it or refusing to deal with it endangers our national security. It undermines the readiness of our forces."

Obama pointed out examples of what climate change can impact, including severe drought in Nigeria that made way for the threats posed by of Book Ha ram.

More extreme storms will also lead to more humanitarian missions, the president said. Along the coast, highways and railways are vulnerable, he said. 

"Climate change poses a threat to the readiness of our forces," Obama said.

The president thanked them for the work they will do here and overseas, keeping the ports open and keeping drugs from making it to shore and getting onto the streets and harming children.

He called upon the cadets to live each day to the fullest and be willing to face challenges that need to be faced.

The climate change speech topic comes soon after the White House released a new report on how climate change affects national security and what the federal government is doing to address it. He is expected to tell the graduates that they are going to be among the first generation of Coast Guard officers that will have to adapt to how climate change will affect their service.The last time he delivered the keynote address at the academy's graduation was in 2011.

First Class Cadet So so Makarios and Third Class Cadet Barbarian Workloads, two cadets from the Republic of Georgia who were killed in a crash in New Jersey were also remember during the ceremony.

“Their spirits will live on in the partnerships you force with Coast Guards all over the world,” Obama said.

President Obama recognized Commander Merle Smith, the first African American graduate of the academy, who was there. The decorated Vietnam War veteran graduated in the class of 1966.
“His legacy endures in all of you because the class of 2015 is the most diverse in academy history,” Obama said. 

The president also recognized Marina Stevens, a fourth generation member of the U.S. Coast Guard.

“No wonder she’s named Marina. It’s in her blood,” President Obama said.

The president arrived at Crouton-New London Airport Connecticut in Air Force One around 10:30 a.m.  where he shook hands with several children, gave one boy a high five and pinched a baby's cheeks. Within half an hour, the president's motorcade arrived at the Coast Guard Academy.

In the afternoon, the president will head to a home in Stamford for a private fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee before leaving from Winchester County Airport at about 6 p.m. to return to the White House.

President Obama is speaking at several graduations this year. U.S. presidents traditionally address the graduating class at one of the federal service academies on a rotating basis.

Vice President Joseph Biden spoke at the Coast Guard commencement in 2013. On Sunday, he spoke at Yale College's Class Day.  

The last time President Obama was in Connecticut was in November, when he campaigned for Gov. Daniel P. Mallow in Bridgeport before his re-election.

Road Closures

People driving through New London should expect closures and delays in the area near the Coast Guard Academy due to the graduation, especially on Routes 32 and 1 and Interstate 95 over the Gold Star Bridge. Authorities said they expect the bridge be shut down at some point, likely for the president's motorcade. The base opens to guests at 7:30 a.m. and reopens to normal traffic at 3 p.m.

A security zone on the Thames River due to the president's visit could affect boaters trying to travel through.

There are also parking restrictions in effect on Dashing Street, One co Avenue and Names Avenue. Towing began at 5 a.m. for any cars in violation.

Motorcycle legend Douglas Henry, 45, of Torrington, was arrested in Farmington on Tuesday, accused of exposing himself to two female construction workers.

Henry, of Guerdat Road, was arrested at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, accused of exposing his penis to two female construction workers at a construction job on Route 4 in Farmington.

His vehicle was stopped in Harwinton, and Farmington officers responded and interviewed Henry, who they said admitted to the act.

Henry, a Hall of Fame cyclist, became paralyzed from the waist down in a Supermoto crash in March 2007.

In 2010, he competed in his first race since the crash -- the Adaptive SnoCross race at the Winter XGames in Colorado in January, according to ESPN.

He competed in the adaptive SMB SnoCross during the X Games in Aspen and came in second, according to his athlete page on ESPN's X Games Web site.

In November 2010, fire tore through his Torrington home, leaving nothing behind than a chimney.

Henry was issued a misdemeanor summons for public indecency and released on a $2,500.00 non-surety bond.

A pair of bears caught rummaging through trash in a residential New Jersey neighborhood apparently weren't prepared to share the goods with each other. 

Montville Township resident Tracey Bednash captured video of the two bears battling one another at a tipped garbage can on trash day.

Bednash said she saw the bears in the cul-de-sac in Towaco sauntering toward her neighbor's recycling bin.

"It's not uncommon for them to come around here on garbage day and ransack the cans," Bednash told NBC 4 New York in an email. "The huge mama bear was seen around the neighborhood the past week or two. I'm sure she was lurking around." 

The state Division of Fish and Wildlife warns residents to never feed or approach a bear. Repeated black bear damage or nuisance behavior can be reported to the DEP at 877-927-6337.

Mason Modeste may not be able to understand much. But that’s not stopping his mother from telling him how he was born. It’s a story that he’ll have to get used to.

“I’m telling him the story now,” Tiffany Modeste said while laughing. “He’s going to know this story! His friends are gonna know this story! Girls who want to date him are gonna know this story!”

Tiffany expected to give birth to Mason Tuesday, just not as early or under the extreme circumstances that she did.

“My recent doctor’s visit didn’t indicate that I was going to be going into labor,” she said. “They thought they were going to induce me. Going into labor was far from my mind.”

She was with her husband Andre inside their Burlington Township, New Jersey, home around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday when she started having contractions.

“They actually started coming pretty consistently every 10 minutes during that hour,” she said.

Tiffany called her doctor at Capital Health Medical Center Hopewell in Pennington, New Jersey, to make sure everything was okay.

“The doctors said it sounded like I was in early labor so they figured I had time,” she said. “They figured I didn’t need to rush. Of course, they’re the professionals, so I didn’t rush.”

That quickly changed however when the contractions started coming at a faster pace.

“They went from 10 minutes to eight minutes to six minutes and then to the point where I just had no break in between the contractions as they were coming,” she said.

Tiffany and Andre left their 3-year-old son with their mother, who was at the house at the time, and rushed out the door. Even before stepping foot in their SUV, Tiffany knew the baby would arrive before they got to Capital Health.

“As we were leaving the house I told my mom I don’t think we’re gonna make it to the hospital,” she said. “As soon as we got into the car and we were pulling out I told my husband, ‘I think the baby is coming.’”

Andre first stopped at the Endeavor Emergency Squad, an emergency medical and rescue services center located only a few blocks away from their home. He quickly ran out and shouted for help.

“I’m banging on the door and I’m ringing the bell,” he said. “No one came out.”

Realizing that they had little time left, Andre went back in the SUV and drove to the nearest hospital, the Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County.  Even though Lourdes does not have a labor delivery unit, Andre knew it was their only option and drove there as quickly as he could.

“I’m running lights, I’m flying,” he said. “She’s in the back saying she thinks the baby is coming!”

The car ride only took a few minutes. Yet they may have been the most important minutes of Tiffany’s life.

“All I remember is hearing the roar of the engine while I was in labor,” she said. “And with each labor pain I got I had the urge to actually push. My body is pushing. I’m not trying to push but my body is doing it. It was natural. At one point I put my hand down and realized something was really happening. Then my husband pulled into the parking lot at Lourdes.”

Andre pulled up on a curve at the entrance of Lourdes, ran into the hospital and screamed for help.

“I’m like, right now I need as much help as I can get,” he said. “The doctors come out and the nurses come out with a wheelchair and gurneys.”

Yet Andre was in for a shock as he returned to his SUV less than a minute after running into the hospital. His wife was holding their newborn son.

“Baby,” Tiffany screamed. “I have the baby!”

Tiffany described the incredible moment.

“When he ran into the emergency room I had another pain,” she said. “And I pushed and my baby came out in my hand. He had his umbilical cord around the back of his neck so I just gently pulled that off and put him on my chest. I patted him and he started crying. He was breathing okay and I just waited two more seconds and saw my husband come out with the security guard and nurses."

Both Tiffany and Andre believe the birth was a miracle.

“It was an act of God,” Andre said. “I seriously believe God took over at that point.”

Tiffany was eventually transferred to Capital Health where she was Wednesday night with her newborn son Mason, who is a healthy seven pounds and six ounces and 20.5 inches long.

“My son is doing wonderful,” she said. “My oldest son is happy to be a big brother and people are just amazed. I’m just really grateful to everyone at Lourdes and Capital Health.”

It’s an experience that Tiffany will not only share with her son but also look back to whenever times get tough.

“I never thought I would be able to do it without assistance,” she said. “You really don’t know your own strength until it’s put to the test.”