The birth of a baby has one family calling a New Jersey off-ramp "Teagan's Turn."
A little over a year ago, a baby girl was born outside of a gas station just off of the Garden State Parkway in Sea Isle City. This week, the firefighters who helped deliver that baby girl got to celebrate her 1st birthday with her and her family.
On Aug. 27, 2021, Leslie Harkins and her husband Ryan were heading home to Burlington County from their vacation home in Sea Isle City when Leslie went into labor, three weeks early.
"The first thing we saw, the lights ahead, was the gas station," Leslie said.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Ryan eventually pulled into the station while the couple remained on the phone with 9-1-1 operators. Moments later, first responders with the Seaville Fire Department arrived and helped Leslie deliver the baby, which the Harkins named Teagan.
"Knowing that they're here today, seeing what it's like to see the aftermath," firefighter Scott Fancher said about meeting Teagan and her family.
For Teagan's father, the experience left him with a better outlook on the world.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"It really restored my faith in humanity from the standpoint that their are still good people out there," Ryan Harkins said.
