EDISON — A newborn baby girl is alive today thanks to the efforts of a 16-year veteran of the Edison Police Department, authorities said Monday.

When 6-day-old baby Jivya stopped breathing Wednesday, her 39-year-old father, Babu Gundimada, tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the infant, according to police. Minutes later, Officer Brian Freund arrived at the family's Rivendell Way townhouse.

When he walked in just after 8:35 p.m., Freund found Gundimada crouched on the floor over his daughter, who appeared unable to breathe, police said in a statement. The officer noticed that the baby was already turning blue, and was not responding to her father's efforts at CPR.

Police say Freund took over CPR, doing "gentle compressions" on the unconscious newborn. Before long, authorities say, Jivya "began coughing and crying, indications she was again getting air into her lungs."

Emergency crews and emergency medical technicians from Edison Fire Rescue and JFK Medical center then responded to provide additional medical attention and transport the infant to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, police said.

Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan commended Freund for resuscitating baby Jivya, and also credits the training he received with helping the officer to know how to respond to the unconscious infant. Police say Freund has been a member of the department since 2000.

“Saving this newborn’s life is an absolute credit to Officer Freund,” said Chief Bryan. “It also demonstrates that every dollar we invest in officer-training and the emphasis we place on preparedness and professionalism is time and money well spent.”

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.

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