For NJ cop, routine traffic stop becomes happy reunion with man who delivered him

Stacey Barchenger , Stacey Barchenger | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption NJ cop pulls over man who helped deliver him Listen as a New Jersey State Police trooper realizes he's pulled over the man who helped deliver him 27 years ago. Edited video courtesy New Jersey State Police.

It starts with flashing lights in the rear-view mirror and ends with a ticket or maybe, if you're lucky, just a warning.

Those are the typical outcomes when you're pulled over by police.

And then there's what happened to a former New Jersey police officer on Friday, who found out he was pulled over by a man he helped deliver while on duty 27 years ago.

"We’re not sure what the odds are of this happening — maybe they’re close to the odds of a hole-in-one, winning the lottery or being struck by lightning — but it happened," New Jersey State Police posted on their Facebook page Wednesday.

Let's start at the beginning.

Twenty-seven years ago, Matthew Bailly was four years on the job as a Piscataway police officer when he was called to a home on Poe Place. Karen Patterson had gone into labor while shopping, according to the NJSP Facebook post, and rushed home to her husband, Bobby Patterson.

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They called for help and called their doctor. On Oct. 5, 1991, the doctor on the phone guided Bobby Patterson and Bailly through the birth of the Pattersons' baby boy, Michael.

Bailly and baby went their separate ways. Michael grew up and became a trooper with the state police.

On Friday, he was on patrol in Kingwood when he stopped a car for a tinted window violation. Bailly was driving, according to NJSP, and said he formerly was an officer in Piscataway.

Further discussion led both men to realize their connection to Poe Place.

"Bailly said that he remembered that street, because he helped deliver a baby there 27 years ago when he was a rookie cop," NJSP wrote on Facebook. "He was even able to describe the color, style of house, and the baby’s name, Michael."

“My name is Michael Patterson, sir," the trooper told Bailly, shaking his hand. "Thank you for delivering me.”

The small-world encounter wasn't the first time the two had reunited. Karen Patterson said when Michael was 11 — and the family happened to be shopping at the same ShopRite where she went into labor — they ran into Bailly.

“That was the only time we had seen him," she recalled.

Her son was assigned to Kingwood about a month ago, a move that Karen Patterson believes led to the chance traffic stop Friday.

"It’s still exciting," she said, of the traffic stop, which ended with a happy reunion and, state police said, no ticket for Bailly.

Michael and Karen Patterson met with Bailly and his family at their home Sunday.

“We were over there for two hours, just catching up," Karen Patterson said. "They were so sweet. We’re all going to keep in touch.”

Stacey Barchenger: @sbarchenger; 732-643-4245; sbarchenger@gannettnj.com