By Austin Mirmina

Source Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.

With about half an hour left in his eight-hour shift Tuesday night, Cpl. Reginald Early sat in his parked cruiser outside the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford. His assignment was simple.

Remain visible.

At about the same time, Bristol residents Lex Nebbeling and Hayley Lebron had pulled off Interstate 84 in desperate search of help. Their infant son, Leo, was limp and no longer breathing, Nebbeling said Thursday. They were on their way to Connecticut Children’s but feared they wouldn't get there in time.

Then Lebron spotted Early's red-and-blue lights.

Nebbeling sped into the Capitol complex and pulled up beside the cruiser. Lebron grabbed Leo from the back seat, ran to Early’s window and banged on it, Nebbeling said.

The parents were "hysterical," Early recalled in a separate interview Thursday. "'My baby’s dying. My baby’s not breathing. Can you please help us?'" they shouted.

Early got out of his cruiser and saw that Leo was limp and blue. He radioed for an ambulance, checked for a pulse but could not find one, then tried to clear the baby’s airway with his finger. When Leo did not respond, the officer began chest compressions.

"I was actually asking the parents, did the baby eat anything? And they weren’t responding to me," Early said. "So I had to just go on my own."

About 30 seconds into CPR, Leo began coughing and breathing, Early said. Paramedics arrived a few minutes later and took him to Connecticut Children’s. Early escorted the family to the hospital, where he reunited them with Leo.

Doctors diagnosed Leo with bronchiolitis, his father said. He was discharged and returned to the family’s Bristol home Thursday night, back to being his giggly, strong-willed self.

"Officer Early, that man truly deserves all the credit in the world," Nebbeling said. "Without him, my son would not be here. I would not be holding him in my arms."

Since the rescue, Early has been hailed as a hero. He said the moment struck a personal chord: As he worked to revive Leo, he thought of his own son. The experience also affirmed his decision to leave the private sector and return to police work.

Early’s son was born with a medical condition. He and his wife had to be "ready at all times" to perform CPR on him; they did so when he was about 1 or 2 years old, he said.

"As I'm taking care of baby Leo, I can see my son's face also," he said. "That encouraged me, inspired me even more to make sure I didn't let them down and that baby Leo was going to be OK."

The crisis also brought back memories for Nebbeling and Lebron. Their 8-year-old daughter also had to be resuscitated after she was born with shoulder dystocia, a complication that left her without oxygen for 82 seconds, Nebbeling said.

Early started his career with Capitol Police, then spent more than two decades with Hartford police, patrolling city streets and investigating murders, assaults and other major crimes. He retired from the department in October 2024 and became a private investigator for CVS Health, but said he found the work unfulfilling. He returned to Capitol Police, taking a significant pay cut.

Tuesday’s rescue validated that decision, Early said. He credited the department’s training and resources, as well as the work of his colleagues.

"I didn’t do it alone," he said. "They provide us with the training and the resources, and I work with a team of professionals here. We all have the same common goal: to serve the community and do what’s right."

Early walked through an office building on the Capitol grounds Thursday afternoon as colleagues congratulated him and commended his heroics.

"There he is!" a security guard called from near the entrance. "The hero!"

Early said the response from his colleagues and community members has been "overwhelming." His phone has been ringing nonstop since news of the rescue began spreading Wednesday morning, with calls from former teachers, classmates and others he hadn't heard from in years.

"My wife’s been upset, like, ‘Cut your phone off. It’s ridiculous,'" he said.

Early and Leo’s parents said they expect the rescue to create a lasting bond between their families. Early said he told his wife they now had "someone else on our Christmas list" and that he wants to "be there for all his milestones," including school graduations.

"I think we kind of realized that that gentleman is going to be part of our lives forever," Nebbeling said. "We'll forever be indebted to him."

______________

© 2026 Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.

Visit www.journalinquirer.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.