HOWELL -- The Howell Township Police Department is defending an officer who gave a speeding ticket to a Lakewood man who was driving 78 mph in a 50 mph zone as he took his pregnant wife to the hospital earlier this month.

Police issued a statement and a shared a portion of the officer's body camera footage of the stop, after The Lakewood Scoop, published a story featuring a first-person account from the anonymous driver criticizing the stop.

The headline on that story read, "SHOCKING: Howell police officer tickets Lakewood driver for speeding minutes before his child is born".

But police contend there's more to the story, and that an internal review of video evidence shows the officer responded properly.

On Nov. 14 at 11:57 p.m., a Howell police officer stopped a 2010 Toyota Sienna on Squankum Road (Route 547) between Maxim and Old Tavern roads for doing 78 mph in a 50 mph speed zone, Howell police said in a statement.

As the officer approaches the vehicle, the driver tells the officer that his wife is in "advanced labor," according to police and the body camera video.

The officer responds by asking the driver for his license, registration and insurance. After receiving the documents, the officer tells the driver he was doing "almost 80 mph."

The driver then explains how he and his wife were in the doctor's office that morning and the "doctor just called" and told them to go to the hospital.

"Alright, sit tight for a few minutes," the officer can be heard saying in the video.

The officer returns to his patrol vehicle, fills out the ticket and then walks back to the car. As the officer approaches the vehicle, the driver can be seen with his head out of the vehicle and says something that is inaudible.

According to the man's account published by The Lakewood Scoop, his wife "reached a critical point" and he was trying to signal that to the officer.

The officer asks the couple if they'd like an ambulance and the couple responds by asking for a police escort instead.

"No, we don't do that," the officer said. "That's what ambulances are for. That's why you're not supposed to be driving that fast."

The officer asks again if the couple wants an ambulance to come to the vehicle, and the man's wife can be heard responding, but it's unclear from the body camera footage what she says.

The officer then hands the ticket to the man and asks him again if he'd like an ambulance.

"[Inaudible] ... We see there's something going on. She's not pushing yet, but she just broke her water," the driver says.

The man's published account said the time it took from when the officer first approached his car until he handed him the ticket was "close to 15 minutes."

Police contend the entire stop from start to finish lasted just over 9 minutes.

The man said the baby was born 20 minutes after the officer let them go.

The photo of the bracelet published by The Lakewood Scoop shows a date of Nov. 15 with the time being 12:35 a.m. However, it's unclear from the photo, which redacts information, if that's the time the baby was born or the time the woman was admitted to the hospital.

"The interaction during the stop was polite and respectful. Both the operator of the vehicle, his pregnant wife and the officer were calm, respectful and courteous to one another," police said in a statement. "We certainly understand how stressful the moments leading up to birth can be, especially on a woman, and we commend them for their respectful demeanor under the circumstances. However, the officer acted appropriately and any suggestion that the officer's conduct was improper, unprofessional or inhumane simply contradicts the video evidence."

It continues: "We are happy to hear the occupants arrived safely at the hospital and had a successful delivery. We wish them the best."

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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