SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — The man who helped deliver the baby of a homeless woman, shown in an exclusive video last week, spoke to 8News sister station KRON Tuesday.
The baby was born on the streets of San Francisco, as the homeless woman gave birth at a Muni bus stop on Market Street. The video is as shocking as the incident itself, and there was one man who helped.
KRON’s Justine Waldman met with the man, Esau Marquez, and she explained exactly what he did to save the baby’s life.
Marquez said his job is to deliver food in San Francisco. But the delivery he was a part of last week was quite different and special.
“(I) was surprised to see that baby on the floor” Marquez said.
A homeless woman, who did not know she was pregnant, gave birth to a baby boy at the busy bus stop. The aftermath was caught on cell phone video.
Very few people stopped to help the mother, or the baby, but Marquez did.
“I did not stop to think whether this is a homeless or rich person,” Marquez said. “I believe that a human life is very precious.”
Marquez started as a bike delivery rider for UberEATS in November, and as he was heading down Market Street last week, he saw panic and fear.
“Everybody was so chaotic, screaming and shouting,” Marquez said. “And I looked to the side, and I figure there was someone stabbing this poor woman because there was so much blood on the floor.”
But then it was clear — a newborn baby was on the ground. What Marquez did next possibly saved the baby’s life. He took his shirt off.
“So I picked up the baby, (and) I wrapped my sweater around the baby,” Marquez said. “And some other woman said to pat him on the back because she was a nurse, and so I did, and that’s when the baby started moving, and actually, the baby started crying and then started moving his hands.”
Marquez is a father himself, and this reminded him of when his two children were born.
“What an awesome sound and noise it is to hear that newborn baby,” Marquez said. “It was rather cool because it’s like, wow….I haven’t heard that in 20 something years.”
Marquez said he believes anyone would have wrapped the baby in clothes to keep it warm, even though no one else did.
“We should be able to help one another and reach out to each other in spite of, regardless of status or who we are,” Marquez said. “I just did it because there was a human being in need.”
The baby was born premature at 32 weeks, and at last check, he was doing OK.
And KRON just found out that the San Francisco Fire Department wants to honor Esau for helping to save the baby’s life.
