US News

TUNNEL COP ‘DELIVERS’

A mother gave birth in the back of her family minivan at the entrance to the Queens Midtown Tunnel yesterday with the help of a quick-thinking bridge-tunnel cop.

“I said, ‘Welcome to the world. $4.50, please,’ ” joked Officer Thomas Gutterman, who delivered the healthy 7-pound, 6-ounce infant in a mere six minutes.

Rose Jocelyn Hernandez was born at 9:07 a.m. on the Queens side of the tunnel.

Her parents were on their way to Bellevue Hospital but baby Rose – already a pushy New Yorker – would not wait.

“In the car, I was thinking only about the baby,” said mother Merrietta Medina, 24.

It all began when Merrietta woke up yesterday at around 8 a.m. and realized she was in labor.

She called her fiancé, Fernando Hernandez, 24, who rushed home from his job as a mechanic.

But once they got to the tunnel, it was obvious that the newborn was on a different timetable than her folks, and the frantic father began to panic.

“I saw the checkpoint and I ran out and said, ‘Help me! Help me!’ ” he said.

Lt. Peter Roness and Sgt. Consuelo Evans rushed over and realized they had to move fast.

He sent for Gutterman, who had worked as a firefighter and had first aid training.

Hours later, he visited them in the hospital and got to meet the family.

“Thank you!” said the mother, who was holding her sleeping newborn in pink blankets.

Meanwhile, Gutterman modestly dismissed their praise.

“Our motto is we do it all,” he said.

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com