Unconscious baby saved on the side of a Florida freeway

Pamela Rauseo, 37, performs CPR on her nephew, five-month-old Sebastian de la Cruz. AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Al Diaz

When five-month old Sebastian stopped breathing on a highway in the US state of Florida on Thursday, his desperate aunt pulled over and screamed for help.

Luckily, Pamela Rauseo, 37, was met on the side of the road by a police officer and two fire-fighters who happened to be stuck in the same traffic jam.

Just behind Ms Rauseo's car was the award-winning photojournalist Al Diaz - who expertly captured the incredible scene.

Mr Diaz snapped away as Sebastian, who suffers from respiratory problems after his premature birth, was already turning blue.

He told the Miami Herald, the newspaper which he works for, that he heard Ms Rauseo say: "the baby can't breathe."

"My sister had trusted me with him," she said.

Officer Amauris Bastidas helps rescue a five-month-old baby boy, Sebastian de la Cruz. Photo / AP Photo/The Miami Herald, Al Diaz

The photos depict Ms Rauseo's desperation, as she kneels on the floor of the freeway and cries.

The photos show motorists and emergency workers gathering around to try and save the baby, including Lucila Godoy, 34, who left her three-year-old son in her car to perform CPR on Ms Rauseo's nephew.

While the pair tended to the baby, Mr Diaz searched for more help in the traffic jam.

He soon found police officer Amauris Bastidas who took over performing CPR.

"He started breathing and crying. Then he started not breathing again," Mr Bastidas said.

Hearing the emergency call while also stuck in traffic, Anthony Trim and Alvaro Tonanez from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue service joined police staff just as Sebastian began breathing again.

The rescue teams kept Sebastian breathing until paramedics arrived, who took the infant to hospital.

A spokeswoman told the newspaper that he was in a stable condition on Thursday.

- The Independent