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- South Bend police officer Matthew Hegedus-Stewart has reconnected with Gene Eyster almost 25 years after the retired cop discovered Hegedus-Stewart abandoned as an infant.
- Hegedus-Stewart was located in a box at a local apartment complex in December 2000, later called “Baby Jesus” by Eyster.
- The two men reestablished contact in March 2024 after another officer identified him as the young man whom Eyster aided.
A young Indiana police officer has recently reconnected with a retired cop who rescued him nearly 25 years ago.
Gene Eyster, who retired in 2019, was working as a lieutenant for the South Bend Police Department when he and others were summoned to the Park Jefferson Apartments on Dec. 22, 2000.
The SBPD reported that a resident called the police after hearing a baby crying and finding an infant inside a box “wrapped in blankets and a flannel shirt.”
The child, just two days old, was taken to a local hospital, where nurses provided care.
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Eyster helped publicize the child, whom he named “Baby Jesus” because he was found “so close to Christmas” — and even purchased a teddy bear for him.
Ultimately, the child’s parents were located, and the boy’s mother “faced a neglect charge. Meanwhile, the baby was adopted by a new family and began anew.
Coincidentally, the once-abandoned baby later became a police officer himself — and worked for the same police department that had rescued him nearly 25 years before.
And in March 2024, Eyster had the opportunity to meet that man: Officer Matthew Hegedus-Stewart.
“You’re much larger now,” Eyster remarked during the meeting.
The subsequent week, Eyster and Hegedus-Stewart met in person for the first time since Hegedus-Stewart was an infant. They spent time reconnecting and reviewing old documents and photos from the day Baby Jesus was found.
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“Thank you for everything you did for me,” Hegedus-Stewart expressed his gratitude to Eyster.
Now, Eyster and Hegedus-Stewart are recounting their story with Today, CBS Evening News, Fox News, and more.
Hegedus-Stewart is also a father to 14-month-old Aspen, whom he shares with his wife Jillian. Adding another layer of sweetness to the story, the family mentioned that Aspen was born on the same day Hegedus-Stewart was adopted, according to Today.
“There are so many coincidences,” Eyster shared with the outlet. “I mean, Matt completes his field training and randomly gets assigned to the same beat of the apartment complex where he was found. What are the odds?”
