State trooper pulls over retired officer for routine traffic stop - discovers he delivered him as a baby 27 years ago

Meeting someone who had played a significant role during your time of birth after decades was something a 26-year-old state trooper did not expect. According to ABC News, it was just another day on traffic duty for New Jersey State Trooper Michael Patterson, when he pulled over a man at a traffic stop. Little did Patterson know that the man he had pulled over was a retired police officer named Matthew Bailly. Bailly was the person who helped Patterson's mom deliver him as a baby in 1991.

The fateful encounter between Patterson and Bailly took place in 2018 when the trooper pulled over the older man for a minor traffic violation. Bailly informed him that he was a retired Piscataway police officer. Patterson told him that he grew up in Piscataway. Curious to know more, Bailly struck up a conversation with Patterson and he came to know the name of the street where the state trooper lived in his childhood. Bailly could make a connection with the location as he revealed that he had helped to deliver a child in that area back in 1991 when he was a rookie cop. 

When Bailly was able to give a detailed description of Patterson's house and told him that the baby he delivered was called Michael, the young trooper could join the dots easily. "My name is Michael Patterson, sir," he told Bailly, per the news outlet. "Thank you for delivering me." "His mouth dropped and so did mine," Patterson continued at a press conference. "I believe that it was a divine encounter. I met him for a reason. We connected at that point. Both of our wives were saying, 'You need to get pictures!' And my mom was saying it as well."

"You never think a routine stop like that turns into meeting the person who helped give the resources to bring you into the world," Patterson added during the conference, per the new outlet. eventually, the Bailly and Patterson family met up at Bailly's home. Patterson's mom also came along with her son and recalled some moments from the day she gave birth to her son. Patterson's mother went into labor on October 5, 1991. Unfortunately, Patterson's mom's doctor was not available at that moment to help her. Bailly ended up responding to the scene and talked to a doctor over the phone to help deliver the young trooper.

After pulling over Bailly, Patterson did not issue him a ticket and they both promised to stay in touch with each other. The New Jersey State Police's official Facebook page, shared two pictures of the gentlemen where they shook hands and posed for the camera with smiles on their faces. Joanna Hayston Rydzewski commented under the post, "Angels watching over them brought them together after all these years. Everything happens for a reason. Who would think you pull over a driver and he brought you into this world?" Lisa Katana-Foster added, "This is wonderful! And the pride Bailly must feel seeing what a fine young man Trooper Patterson became! Best and toughest career. Thanks for your service to our community fellas."