Connecticut police officer saves girl’s life, becomes part of her family: ‘I’ll be there for her graduation and wedding’

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – When Tooka gets home from school, she runs into the outstretched arms of her Uncle Mike.

“I missed you!” she tells Uncle Mike, aka Det. Michael Harton of Connecticut’s North Haven Police Department.

Harton been a constant in Tooka’s life for the past several years, ever since saving her life.

“They call her Tooka but not for me — [it’s] ‘little angel,’” said Harton.

Their paths first crossed four years ago. Tooka, just a few months old at the time, was with mom Nikki Huckaby at a movie theater in North Haven when a scary situation unfolded.

“I went to pick her up when the movie was over, and I realized she wasn’t breathing,” said Huckaby. “I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ I was hysterical.”

“I see Nicole running towards me with a little angel in her arms,” remembered Harton, who just happened to be stationed at the theater that night.

Dramatic video — never before released to the public — shows Harton springing into action.

“I grabbed her and tried to revive her as much as I could, and she just went limp on me,” he remembered.

The certified EMT had never worked on a baby so small. Tooka, who was born prematurely, was under fifteen pounds at the time.

“The training kicked in. I was petrified, nervous,” said Harton.

He performed the Heimlich maneuver, abdominal thrusts and back blows — techniques he’d learned for helping a choking infant.

“I couldn’t do anything besides pray,” Huckaby said, tearing up while watching the bodycam video for only the second time.

But then, a miracle. The baby started crying.

“That cry was the best thing ever,” said Harton, who believes the mucus she was choking on had begun to clear. “I almost start crying myself,” he said.

During the emotional celebration, Harton holds Tooka close until he places her gently in the ambulance.

“I always remember when I put her on the stretcher, she was like a little bundle of joy crying, and I was exhausted for two weeks after that,” he said.

But the story doesn’t stop there.

Uncle Mike is now Tooka’s godfather, showing up for her first day of school and delivering holiday presents alongside his wife, Auntie Sue.

“I’ll be there for her graduation and wedding,” Harton said, adding that he’s planning to attend Tooka’s upcoming birthday party, too.

“Unbeknownst to us, our family grew that day,” Harton said. “Every time I see her, it’s a great day.”