SHOCKING: Howell Police Officer Tickets Lakewood Driver For Speeding Minutes Before His Child Is Born (PHOTOS)


The following is via TLS:










A Lakewood Resident


READ: Statement From Howell Police

See photos below:


  1. Yet ANOTHER reason why Bill Arnold CEO of Monmouth (which owns the former Kimball Hospital in Lakewood) should be opening a full sized, fully staffed, state of the art and top of the line Maternity ward in Lakewood!!
    Don’t worry, business isn’t going to be slowing down anytime soon (Baruch Hashem)!!!!

  2. There is no excuse for speeding!
    If it was an emergency – an ambulance should have been called.
    I read all the comments on Tls & I don’t agree with most of them.
    I’m not in Shock when the neighboring towns are antisemitic – they don’t want to become another Lakewood.
    Why can’t the Jews in Golus follow the law of the land?!?

  3. just be happy you arent black. rude to a cop, passenger in the car making strange noises, getting out and motioning to the officer- you could have been shot!

  4. @health- I’m horrified at your comment. I don’t know if you have ever experienced taking a woman in labor to the hospital (I have, multiple times KA”H), but when a woman is in labor, she is a choleh sheyesh bah sakanah to the extent that it’s muttar to be michalel Shabbos for her 100%, without the need for amira l’akum. Speeding in this case is completely warranted!

    Regarding your “call an ambulance” comment, if someone is shot and bleeding in the street, would you say the same to someone who put the wounded individual into their car and drove them to a hospital? A woman in labor to the extent described in the article is in no less danger. And should you be considering to respond that the ambulance should be called earlier, to prevent the need to speed, every doctor or midwife tells their patients to wait it out at home as long as possible, for there’s no reason to come in early when labor may take a long time. There’s no countdown timer on the baby!

  5. I agree with Health. You knew beforehand that labor would be quick. If it was me, I would have called an ambulance straight away and not taken a chance driving myself.

  6. Hea;th, let see you with your wife MINUTES away from birth and what you would do. It is not illegal anywhere when a woman is so close to birth not to speed. I will dan you likav zechus that you have no children, and that is why you don’t understand that.

  7. “My pregnant wife had been to the doctor that day, and was told that as soon as labor begins she should rush to the hospital, since the baby will be born very quickly.” #3, she was just doing what she was told! She was told there wasn’t any time to wait for an ambulance!!

  8. Health, what is wrong with you? Do you know how to read? “While driving on Squankum Road. my wife told me she is starting to feel it is getting closer to birth.” Should have he stopped his car and called an ambulance? Think before revealing your warped mentality.

  9. Sounds like it “cost” over 20 minutes to speed and following the speed limit would have saved about 15 of those.
    Drive safely and keep your head.

  10. Health,

    I wonder if you’d say the same if it was your wife. The father may have made a mistake to speed BUT the officer can easily tell if she’s in labor or not. A normal officer does not react the way he/ she did. Then again, Howell police has a very sweet reputation, for good reason.

  11. Health, I agree that he should not have driven her himself. Speeding is dangerous, even for birthing mothers, and distressed driving (as when your wife is in heavy labor) is also very unsafe.

    Nevertheless, the officer did not deal with the situation appropriately. He should have immediately offered to call an ambulance, issued a warning, and explained to the driver why speeding is inadvisable even in that situation.

  12. Why can’t the Jews in Golus follow the law of the l;and

  13. @Health, I respectfully disagree to your post.
    “There is no excuse for speeding!” – Oh, really?! How about during an emergency like this one!
    “If it was an emergency – an ambulance should have been called.” – They were in the car already!? Did you not read – He wrote clearly that he started out ….regular speed, then later during the ride his wife told him that it was imminent and only then did it become an emergency! I don’t know if you’ve been involved in such a situation like this, but it is quite frantic and scary for a husband behind the wheel. He was clear to the officer about the situation, and respectful. The officer on the other hand was rude and downright disgusting to this poor desperate couple. Now I don’t know if he is an anti-Semite or not, but that lack of human compassion and indifference for a screaming woman in labor pain and her frantic husband, is inexcusable. For what?? So that he can fill out his daily ticket quota?!!
    Who’s the victim here?? Are you, Health, so blind to see all this?!
    “Why can’t the Jews in Golus follow the law of the land?!?” I’m sorry but that just smells of a self hating Jew. Please stop it with your negative anti jewish comments. We are NO WORSE than the other nations of the world!

  14. Something a bit off with this story as the ticket was give 11/14 @ 12pm. But the hospital bracelet is from 11/15. If she gave birth 20 min later, they would’ve given a bracelet same day. Not denying veracity of story, but someone needs to explain.

  15. Am I the only that noticed the time of the offense. It is either 12:00 “PM”, which doesn’t make sense, or 11:00 PM, which makes this story a little wierd, being that the time of birth was 35 minutes after midnight (00:35).

  16. I’m sure many here remember when a Yungerman in Lakewood was Niftar while driving his wife to the hospital, when he turned to help his wife while driving. Use your head! When your wife is suffering, you obviously will have great difficulty driving in a responsible manner. Rush to the hospital, yes; Reckless driving, no – even when the reason is perfectly understandable! The safest, surest way to rush to the hospital is to call an ambulance! The one or two minutes that you will lose by waiting for Hatzalah (or EMS) to come will be made up for על כל צרה שלא תבוא. Even when a woman is in labor, “Better Late Than Never!”

  17. BTW even if there’s NO EXCUSE for speeding EVEN for an emergency, ask 1000 husbands what they would do with a wife in the back seat in painful labor taking her to the hospital when suddenly she yells out to ‘hurry up its coming soon’, and 1000% all husbands will say they’d speed off as fast as they can. Sometimes it’s not only about the law, you do what you have to do because it’s shaas hadechak. Whether that’s pardonable or not for a ticket, I don’t know the law, but whatever the price, we husbands, jewish or not, will speed without thinking twice, in that situation.
    But that police officer, should be fired at best.
    B’suros toyvos and Mazel tov to the new parents, may you be zoiche to raise your precious baby l’torah, l’chupah, ul’maasim toyvim!

  18. BaalHabooze, you are one hundred per cent right – evevry single husband in that situation will panic. That is exactly why the husband should NEVER be the one to drive a woman in labor to the hospital.
    Legality should not be the question here; Safety should.

  19. For those saying it seems it was 12 pm, it seems the policeman made a mistake and rewrote boldly 11on top. Afterwards there’s the number 5 and another number. So it was approximately 11:50.

    People who critisize the fact that the driver was speeding don’t realize that women used to die in childbirth. Many women are in indescribable pain and need pain relief and many need medical att. ASAP. You don’t wait for an ambulance of you are already in the car.

  20. Nby and funny1, the same cop who is dumb enough to hold someone waiting when their wife is in active labor, is also likely to be dumb enough to think that midnight is actually 12PM.

  21. nby, it says 11:50 if you can see it clearly

    but anyways in defense of health if the guy realized his wife was going to give birth “soon” he should have pulled over and called hatzalah (or 911) and they would try to help as best as they could (hopefully) reckless driving because your wife is in labor isn’t an excuse if you Ch”V kill or hurt someone in a court of law

  22. Anyone who knows about women in Labor knows that you actually have plenty of time to get to the hospital, there is no need to rush. it doesnt mean you should waste time and catch in a little extra learning, it means grab your suitecase and go directly to the hospital at normal speed without delay. The 10 minutes you will save by speeding wont make a difference

  23. Lakewood Resident, heres my advice.
    1. Go to Court, tell the judge your story, bring documentation of the pregnancy and birth, and I believe the ticket will be dismissed.
    2. File a complaint with the Howell PD.
    3. Next time call Hatzalah.

  24. Here is a response by a police officer to the question “Can someone driving a woman in labor be issued a ticket for speeding?”

    Yes we can.

    There are a few factors to consider:
    Letting you go to continue driving in an unsafe manner (i.e., your speeding) is not good for anyone; not you, the mother, the baby, or all the other mothers and babies out there using the same roads.
    Just telling you to “FOLLOW ME!!!” as I drive lights and sirens through red lights and busy intersections is not much safer. Hell, it’s dangerous enough just for me to do it, and I have been trained to do it, and have the equipment to do it — you have neither.

    Add to that the fact you’re jacked up on adrenaline. Your chances of being involved in a serious traffic crash are pretty high. And then it would be my fault. And this does not even consider whether my department policy forbids emergency escorts (which it does).
    The mother/baby team could encounter medical problems, and though I have delivered babies before, it was not by choice. We need to get medical personnel involved sooner rather than later.

    So, considering all the above, my advice would be to stop. I will call for an ambulance on my radio, and they will arrive very quickly. I know it doesn’t seem like they will, but they do. They have lights and sirens too. Plus, they deliver babies on purpose. Once they arrive, they can transfer your wife to the ambulance and safely transport her and you to the hospital.

    By doing this, I can protect you, your wife and child, and everyone else on the road. Everybody wins.

    Now if you are within a stone’s throw of the hospital when I stop you, well … we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

    In any case, you won’t be getting a ticket from me.

  25. After watching the body cam video, I am very proud of the officer. He handled the situation very professionally and did everything he could to provide assistance to this family. According to the body cam, the story shared on Lakewood Scoop is very incorrect. The stop was less than 9 minutes and he worked with them very politely. The road they were traveling on is very dark and heavily populated with deer. Going 80 mph on that road is extremely dangerous and could have lead to someone being seriously injured or dead. As a woman who has given birth before, I understand the urgency but driving recklessly will not get you a head in life. Also, if you know that it will be a quick labor, plan accordingly and don’t wait until last minute to go to the hospital. Escort was offered to the family but they refused. The Howell officer was professional and did his job properly. Going 30 mph over the speed limit is not safe and they should have been ticketed. Breaking the law is breaking the law no matter the situation. They could have called an ambulance escort when they left and the ambulance could have met up with them in route to ensure everyone’s safety but this family believed they were above the law and could do things their way.

  26. The cop should be fired. We need sensible cops!

    Health is wrong!!!!

    Can Cops speed? Yes of course
    Can Hatzolah speed? Yes of course
    Can an ambulance speed? Yes of course
    Can the fire department speed? Yes of course

    If speeding was the same like jumping off a cliff, no one would be allowed to speed!!!

    There are times when one should be allowed to speed!!! Fast Labor is one of them!!!!

    Stupid cop and some people commenting, lack common sense!


    Most Poskim hold a woman in labor can’t be Mechallel on D’orysahs during Shabbos, unless there is no other way. Go learn the Halachos!

  28. hershh -“HEALTH is not an ‘acheinu bnei yisroel’ he is one of our neighbors in Howell who doesn’t want us there and is ‘teaching us manners’ .”

    Speak to yourself! If you allowed speeding for childbirth – Speeding at high speeds can cause fatal accidents – not just you & your wife & your unborn child, but also others!
    I just don’t teach manners, but I know a lot more Torah than you. Being part of Klal Yisroel is keeping the Torah, not just the L’vush.

  29. “”Seichel
    November 21, 2017 8:23 am at 8:23 am
    Health you obviously never heard of pikuach nefesh which is docheh Shabbos and is surely docheh the law of the land.””

    Pikuch nefesh is never docheh the seichel hayashar aka “common sense.” Granted police should have give him a warning but it could be the cop didnt trust him not to continue speeding so he ticketed him.

  30. Oy va voy va voy. Such a lot of noise….!

    Dear Speeder,
    Mazel Tov Mazel Tov Mazel Tov
    Ah sach Yiddishe nachas.
    Was it a boy or girl or….?
    How’s the Yoldos doing. And the baby (babies)?
    Whatever, all the brochos which you hear from now on from all your family, friends & the zibbur in general,
    should be mekuyom.
    Ah yid.

    P.S. did I understand correctly that you are asking what to do about the Shoiter?
    If yes, allow me, hakoton She’bktanim:- Thank The One Above for His boundless chesed. Period.
    Agmas nefesh, is sometimes the currency. We should all be protected from it.
    Any effort you wish to expend other than looking after your rebbetzen & family, is
    just not worth it. Just count your blessings & schwell in nachas.

  31. In 2012, Dana Reiner was in labor and her husband, James Reiner, was doing his best to get her to the hospital as quickly as possible. Along the way they passed two police officers who pulled them over, although James Reiner insists they were not speeding. Dana was in late labor and the video shows they drove 1.1 miles before finally pulling over. James’ window was broken on his older car and he opened the door to tell the officer his wife was in labor. He was promptly forced to the ground at gunpoint, handcuffed faced down on the ground and left there for seven minutes while he and his wife pleaded with the officers, who eventually called for an ambulance which arrived at the hospital 3 minutes before the baby was born:
    A U.S. District magistrate judge ruled in July 2014 that while there is no clearly established legal right to be present at the birth of one’s child, Dandurand and Thomas violated the Reiners’ constitutional rights when they continued to detain the couple after learning Dana was in labor.
    Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry wrote…
    “The court does not think a reasonable officer, after realizing (as Officers Dandurand and Thomas did soon after handcuffing James) that plaintiffs were en route to the hospital to have their baby, would have continued to detain them, much less have kept James under arrest and taken him to jail for the night. To the contrary: such conduct, at that point, violates the clearly established guarantees of the Fourth Amendment,”
    What is important here is that in court the delay was recognized as a mistake on the part of those officers.
    Nevertheless, even in that( much worse) case (which anyone can easily research) the cops involved were not dismissed and are still on active duty. So unless the department’s are willing to take an honest look at themselves, which doesn’t seem the case here either, don’t expect any repercussions.

  32. Health, I think your Ahavas Yisroel is a little lacking. In general we all need to be cognizant of how are driving can make a kiddish or chilly Hashem. I was making an illegal y turn a while back and was told by a driver ( a Yid) “ You people think you can do whatever you want” ( or something like that). I realized whatever time I saved was surely not worth the chillul Hashem. Can anyone argue with that? ( not talking about the lakewood story)

  33. Here is the press release from the Howell PD:

    Press Release with video link From HTPD in response to an article released by the Lakewood Scoop about a motor vehicle stop of a Lakewood couple on Squankum Road.
    This statement has been prepared in response to a few inquiries our agency has received regarding the details of a motor vehicle stop conducted by one of our officers. An internal review was conducted, including a review of video from the vehicle and body worn camera. The civilians’ names have been left out to protect their privacy.
    On November 14, 2017 at 11:57pm, Howell Police Department Patrolman Anthony Marotta #179, conducted a motor vehicle stop on a 2010 Toyota Sienna on Route 547 (Squankum Rd.) between Maxim Rd. and Old Tavern Rd. for speeding (78mph in a 50mph zone).
    Ptl. Marotta approaches the driver and requests driving credentials as the operator explains that his wife, who is in the passenger seat, is in “advanced labor”. Upon receiving the documents the operator explains that the doctor told them to go to the hospital. Ptl. Marotta explains that he was stopped for doing “almost 80 in a 50”. This exchange lasted about forty seconds.
    Cpl. Marotta returns to his vehicle, fills out a summons for speeding and returns to the operator’s vehicle within six minutes of the initial conversation. As Ptl. Marotta approaches the operator he asks him if they would like an ambulance to respond to the scene. The operator and passenger decline and ask for a police escort, which the officer properly declines as that would be a violation of departmental policy. He asks the occupants again if they want an ambulance, to which the female passenger in labor responds, “No I do not want an ambulance”. The officer responds, “Are you sure?” and she replies “Yes”. Ptl. Marotta again offers assistance stating, “I can call them and they can at least follow you or take you up there”. The female then calmly asks the officer if they can “just go” to which the officer responds “Ok” and gives the operator instructions on calling the court regarding the summons. He also cautions the operator on speeding on the roadway adding to the risk of getting in an accident and not getting to the hospital especially, “tonight there’s a lot of deer out”. Ptl. Marotta insists on calling an ambulance but they decline again. The operator states, “She’s not pushing yet just broke her water”. The operator, not the officer, then prolongs the stop asking who he can call to “explain the situation” and address the ticket despite reports to the contrary. The entire stop from start-to-finish took 9 minutes 29 seconds.
    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. 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.
    We are happy to hear the occupants arrived safely at the hospital and had a successful delivery. We wish them the best.

  34. My husband was pulled over by Howell Police for driving too SLOWLY. They handcuffed him saying he had a speeding ticket EIGHTEEN years old. Luckily he had cash for BAIL. Judge in court on PIP dismissed all. Howell PD are anti-semites. Making a woman in labor wait while he wrote a ticket? He should be indicted for endangering the life of a minor.

  35. Letz not be Cynical -“Health, I think your Ahavas Yisroel is a little lacking. ”

    A lot of posters have very emotional responses!
    Let me ask you something – if this speeder went speeding & hit another car and killed the Frum driver – would you still defend the husband and say – “He was speeding because his wife was in Labor & he was going to the hospital?!?