Detroit EMTs reunite with twin girls delivered during emergency home birth

Jessica Johnson was at home with her kids, brother and mother on July 1 when her water suddenly broke. Her twin daughters were coming early — at just 32 weeks — and there was no time to get to a hospital.

Two Detroit Fire Department first responders arrived within minutes and helped deliver the babies, despite it being the first time either had assisted in a birth.

"I was nervous because, having a home birth, that was not planned," Jessica, now a mother of five, said on Monday, July 21, recounting the day nearly three weeks earlier. "Everything happened so fast. I thank God everything is fine, everybody is healthy and everything worked out."

On July 21, the EMTs, Bacarri Stanley and Michael Bache, returned to the Johnsons’ home under calmer circumstances, and they came bearing gifts.

The fire department showed up with two cribs, mattresses, baby clothes, diapers, wipes and toys for all of the twins' siblings — paid for by the Detroit Public Safety Foundation.

"We definitely appreciate the gifts," said Jessica’s mother, LaToya Johnson. "They're much needed."

From chaos to joy: How EMTs assisted in twin delivery

With the help of Stanley and Bache, the 31-year-old mother and her babies are doing well, despite the unplanned home birth.

Jessica said it took about five minutes for the two EMTs to arrive when she went into labor. However, one of the girls was born before help could reach the house.

"We walked into the house. We saw there was a baby already out on the bed, and we went to go and take care of the first baby, clamp and cut the cord, and then mom's water broke again," Bache said.

Stanley and Bache assisted in delivering the second baby before transporting them to a hospital. But neither EMT knew at first that Jessica was carrying twins.

As they were cleaning up the first baby, Jessica told them, "I gotta push," Stanley said. "And we (were) like, 'Push? We got one right here.' She was like, 'No, I got another one.' We looked, and the baby was crowning, and she just shot out and just into my partner's hands."

It was the first delivery for both responders. Stanley described the scene as chaotic but said their training took over.

"We just locked in," Stanley said, adding that he was overwhelmed by the emotional moment and got goosebumps officially meeting the twins. “I’m just grateful to see two beautiful twin daughters — beautiful and healthy."

"I'm glad that mom and the babies are all right," Bache said. "Out in the field, the delivery success rate is definitely lower than what it is in the hospital, but it's good that they're both healthy; mom was healthy."

Jessica Johnson, 31, holds her newborn twin daughters, Jaliyah and Janiyah, after arriving at the hospital following an unplanned home birth on July 1, 2025. She is now a mother of five.

LaToya said she was incredibly concerned for her daughter and the twin girls during the sudden delivery.

"I was relieved once the Detroit fire and EMTs got here. They did a phenomenal job; I applaud them." LaToya said. "My son, Jayden, helped out more than I did. I took control of the other kids."

Jayden said he was the one to call for help when his sister started going into labor.

"It's not something you see every day," he told the Free Press.

'We got a full house now'

While born about eight weeks early, Jaliyah and Janiyah are growing well and have surpassed their birth weight, their mother, Jessica, said. They each weighed about 4 pounds at birth and reached 6 pounds as of their last doctor visit on Friday, July 18.

Jayla Johnson, 3, of Detroit, stands next to her mother, Jessica, 31, as she speaks to the press about the two EMTs who delivered her twins on July 1 at their home in Detroit on Monday, July 21, 2025.

Detroit Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms joined Stanley and Bache at the Johnsons' home on July 21. He said he was proud of the team’s quick response and the role they played in the delivery.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know that we had something to do with bringing twins into this world,” Simms said.

The home where the twin girls were born is Jessica’s grandmother’s house. Her mother, LaToya, grew up there, as did Jessica — and now her children are being raised in the same space.

"We got a full house right now," LaToya said.

Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1.