A Utica police chase turns into a hospital escort with a woman in labor

TROY, Mich. (FOX 2) – Two new parents went from being fugitives on the run from police to having the same officer escort them to Corewell Health in Troy — and it’s a good thing they ran into each other because time was of the essence.

A speeding couple have turned into fugitives in a police escort because their child doesn’t care about the rules of the road.

The newborn Henry Sadowski will one day have quite a story to tell. It started back on October 17, when Mary told her baby’s father, Austin, that her water had broken.

“I was mad,” Mary Wirtz said. “He didn’t believe me at first because we were just talking about how most people’s water doesn’t break. They just do it in the movies for effect.”

They jumped into Austin’s truck and drove toward the hospital – then exited onto Hall Road.

“Everybody got pulled over, but I said ‘yeah’ and turned left,” Austin Sadowski said.

It’s an illegal move that caught the attention of Utica Police Officer Liz Demuynck.

“So he did it practically right in front of me, so I flipped because he was going pretty fast,” she said.

“Of course there’s an officer that we’re going to pull over for sure,” Wirtz said.

Mary was right.

“So I called 911 and said my name is Austin Sadowski. I’m driving a black Super Duty and right now I’m being chased by cops who won’t stop,” he said.

Eventually he stopped.

“So I stopped by him,” Demuynck said. “It was like he was waving at me from the window.”

Police video: “My wife is in labor now,” Sadovsky said.

“ok, is she in labor?” – said Demuynck. “Keep going.”

And the situation changed from a police chase to an emergency escort – just like that.

“Okay, I’m taking them to Dekindr. She’s in the passenger seat,” she said on the radio.

When they arrived at the hospital, the officer handed them over to a pro.

“I escorted them from Van Dyke because they were crazy,” Demuynck said.

“I put her in the wheelchair and said, ‘Do you need my license for anything?’ Sadovsky said, “No, you’re fine, take care.”

“Do you need my license?” Sadovsky asks, pushing his wife in a wheelchair to the hospital.

“No,” said the officer.

And quick action was justified – baby Henry had problems after arrival.

“The child is showing signs of distress, we need to start this case immediately,” Sadowski said.

A couple of hours later, he was born alive and unharmed.

“You know the severity of what can happen and how bad it can get very quickly,” Demuynck said. “So I just went into this mode to try and help.”

A few days later, the new parents were able to personally thank this officer.

“It’s a cool story and it would be great if we could take a picture with you so we can take a picture of him when he’s older,” Sadowski said.

“When everything goes well and there is a positive result, you feel good. Like if you helped, I think that makes a difference.”

The policewoman herself is a mother of two children and a former dispatcher. He says that life experience certainly paid off in this case.