A woman delivered her baby in a Brooklyn courtroom while she was being arraigned on a drug charge.
NBC News reports that Samantha Randazzo went into labor and gave birth mere hours after she was discharged from the hospital. In an interview with The New York Times, her attorney described the moment as “joyful and sad,” but applauded the court officers who helped the 33-year-old when her water broke. She reportedly welcomed a baby boy while shackled and handcuffed.
On Thursday evening, Randazzo was arrested by the NYPD after officers allegedly saw two people with a controlled substance “in plain view” on the rooftop of a public housing complex. She was subsequently charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal trespass.
The police said, “At the time of arrest and when they arrived at the station house, Ms. Randazzo was wearing baggy clothes, did not inform officers she was pregnant, did not indicate any disabilities, and declined medical attention.”
However, at around 3:30 a.m. on Friday morning, Randazzo reportedly told the police she was pregnant and “experiencing withdrawal from drugs.” She was taken to Coney Island Hospital and was discharged later on Friday. She gave birth just before midnight, about four hours after leaving the hospital.
The FDNY was contacted following the baby’s birth; EMS quickly took Randazzo and the newborn to Brooklyn Hospital.
The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, New York County Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, and Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem issued a joint statement after members of the organizations witnessed the situation unfold firsthand.
“No person should ever be forced to give birth in handcuffs or endure labor while restrained, exposed, and denied basic medical care and human dignity,” the statement reads. “What occurred in that courtroom was not simply a failure of protocol or preparedness. It was a profound moral failure and a devastating reflection of the cruelty embedded in our carceral system.”
The statement also demanded an investigation into the incident and into the actions of the agencies and personnel involved, including the Office of Court Administration, the New York City Police Department, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, and court staff.
