Jarrod Dore said after his wife’s water broke on Sunday, the pair rushed off to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for what they had hoped would be a routine delivery.

A West Roxbury couple whose baby was born on the side of the road in Newton on Sunday evening wants to thank the unidentified stranger who pulled the shirt off his back to help keep their child warm until paramedics arrived.

But as they drove, it became clear they wouldn’t make it — their daughter had other plans.

“When our daughter decided she was ready to join us, she didn’t delay. We welcomed her in the front seat of our car, pulled to the side of Commonwealth Avenue in Newton,” Dore said in an e-mail.


Dore said after pulling over, he immediately dialed 911. But the baby wouldn’t wait.

“We delivered our healthy baby girl,” Dore said.

Dispatchers on the phone with Dore at the time of the birth helped direct the couple so they could safely clear the baby’s airways.

Dore said a complete stranger even walked up to the scene, stripped off his shirt, and handed it over to help protect the newborn.

“We’d ... like to extend a special thank-you to the complete stranger who literally gave us the shirt off his back,” Dore said.

Dore said he was “eternally grateful” to the Newton paramedics and police officer who arrived just minutes after the baby’s birth, and ensured both his wife and child were in good health.

“They were calm, reassuring, and skilled in their treatment of all three of us,” he said.

Newton Police Lt. Bruce Apotheker said the department is proud of the officers who assisted the Dores and escorted them to the hospital.

“The officers, they did a good job,” Apotheker said.

Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.