Colorado Cops Help Deliver Triplets After Responding to Call About a Screaming Woman

What began when Colorado police officers responded to a report about a woman screaming in a front yard ended with them assisting in delivering triplets!

In a news release, the Greeley Police Department said that four officers were sent to the 600 block of 36th Avenue Court during the early morning hours of April 18 after being notified about noise.

There, they found a 24-year-old pregnant woman lying on the front porch in pain. It appeared, according to police, that her water broke and she was in labor.

While waiting for medical assistance, the officers stayed with the woman to make her comfortable. Then, per the police, officers heard a cry and realized that a baby boy was being delivered but was "turning blue" amid the cold temperatures and snowy conditions. 

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“One officer located bread ties to tie off the umbilical cord while another ran to nearby homes and collected towels and blankets to help keep the new family warm,” the Greeley Police said, per the release.

The department added, “A third officer, who was still with the new mother, then tied off the umbilical cord and cut it. The fourth officer rushed the baby boy back to his patrol where it was much warmer.”

The police said the newborn had stopped breathing after he was in the patrol car before CPR and chest compressions were administered. Medical personnel then arrived and took over care of the baby. 

But that wasn’t the end, according to police. As this was happening, the woman told one of the attending officers that she was expecting triplets, which prompted the authorities to call for more medical backup. 

A second baby boy was delivered with the assistance of the officers, who tied off the umbilical cord before rushing him to the ambulance where medical personnel were still tending to the first baby.

Greeley police added that the first two infants were sent to a hospital, while a second ambulance arrived to take the mother to the same facility to deliver the third baby. 

Authorities later said that the pregnant woman, who was later identified as Tiffany Leonard, was home alone when she went into labor. However, the battery in her phone died so she attempted to go to a nearby neighbor’s house to call 911. 

In a statement to PEOPLE, Leonard’s boyfriend, Eric Mayeda, says their triplets — Billy, Burt and Kikutaro — were born 14 weeks early. They are currently in a neonatal intensive care unit and will be there for about three to four months. 

“They are doing great!” says Mayeda, while thanking Leonard “for giving us these three beautiful little miracles!” He adds, “As far as how I feel, there are absolutely no words that can accurately describe the profound joy, happiness, and excitement that this has brought to my life!”

He also expressed gratitude to the Greeley police “who showed up and helped bring two of our boys into this world!" He added, "Also, to the medical staff who brought our third child into this world at Northern Colorado Medical Center! As well as everyone on the medical staff taking care of our babies in the NICU down at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, CO!”

The proud dad also created a GoFundMe to help pay expenses following the new additions to his family, writing that his sons "are bravely fighting in the NICU in Aurora, CO, under the expert care of our state's finest medical teams."

Greeley Police Chief Adam Turk, meanwhile, praised the officers involved in the delivery of the triplets.

"We expect our officers to do great work in our community every day, it is engrained in our core values. Even with that lofty expectation, I was amazed at the teamwork, ingenuity, and care our officers provided to this mother and her three new baby boys,” he said, per the release.

"The success of this call is a success in our officers, our training, and our partnerships with other public safety agencies in the area,” Turk continued.