Jerry dialed 9-1-1 in a panic. On the other end of the line was Camden County dispatcher Pete Krygiel.
Transcript:
Caller: She's having the urge to push and it's really scaring me.
Dispatcher: Sir?
Caller: Yes?
Dispatcher: I want you to calm down, okay?
In a smooth and steady voice, the 22-year-old dispatcher, with only 3 months on the job, guided Griffith through an emotional 11 minutes until little Hailey-Ann appeared.
Transcript:
Dispatcher: You're doing a great job. Do exactly what I say.
Caller: Okay.
Dispatcher: Sir, what's going on now sir?
Caller: The head came out.
Dispatcher: Great, sir, get ready to cradle the baby, okay?
Caller: Oh my God, I got her, I got her. I did it! Look!
"If I see anything to do with blood I'm the type to pass out, but he helped me through it and made me calm down," Jerry said.
"I have to stay calm so he can stay calm, so maybe behind everything I was a little nervous, but on the phone I had to be calm and collected," Pete said.
"When I heard how young he was I was like 'Oh my God, I can't believe it.' I'm thinking maybe it's been someone who's been doing this for years," grandmother Shawn Zingaro said.
The Camden County dispatch center gets about 1,200 calls every day. His bosses say Pete Krygiel handled this call exactly the way he's supposed to.
"I don't think she'd be here if [Pete] wasn't there because [Jerry] wouldn't know what to do," mother Amanda said.
It was a great job for both the cool-headed dispatcher and the new dad he coached to deliver his baby girl.
Pete was honored and received a proclamation from the Board of Freeholders Thursday night in Runnemede, New Jersey.
