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3 Cheers: New Jersey Trooper And Retired Cop Who Delivered Him 27 Years Ago Reunite During Traffic Stop

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — They say truth is stranger than fiction and that was the case when a retired police officer accidentally reunited with a New Jersey State trooper he helped deliver as a baby.

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former officer michael bailly and michael patterson
Credit: (CBS3)

What were the chances?

When New Jersey State Trooper Michael Patterson pulled over retired police officer Michael Bailly for a minor infraction, he had no idea a circle was about to be completed.

They were both from Piscataway and got to talking, when Bailly recalled delivering a baby on Poe Place, a baby named Michael.

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"I stretched out my hand, I said 'Sir, My name is Michael Patterson. I appreciate you delivering me.' Can't make up a story better than that," said Michael, who is now a trooper.

If the universe is known to wink with coincidences, this was a full on wave.

"Every year on Michael's birthday, I tell the story and I get so teary eyed at just the thought. A really great experience just to think about it and what could have happened," Michael's mother, Karen, said.

The moment is a reminder that we're all connected, some of us even more than others.

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It's a comforting thought in what is often an uncomfortable world.

Sometimes people are just there to help, and you never know when you might get the chance to say, thank you.

Trooper Michael Patterson and retired police officer Michael Bailly get three cheers.

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