NY State Troopers Release Footage After Woman Claims Traffic Stop Caused Miscarriage

NYSP PIO, /YouTube

After the department revealed bodycam footage of the incident, a New York woman's surprising claim that a harsh arrest by New York State police caused her to miscarry in her third pregnancy has been called into question.

During a traffic stop arrest on 20 March in Binghamton, Quashaia Oranchak, who was six and a half months pregnant, said the agency 'bodyslammed her on the hood' of the cruiser only hours before she underwent an emergency C-section and delivered a dead child.

However, the footage clearly shows the arresting officer handling the woman with care and constantly affirming his intention to look after her.

NYSP PIO, /YouTube

The police officer asked, "You good? You sure?" after giving her water by hand.

“We have a situation that we’re in right now, but at the end of the day — like I told you before — I’m a reasonable guy. I see that you’re pregnant. If you’re not good, you need to let me know because you’re in my custody now. Your well-being is part of my responsibility.”

The nine-minute video starts with the unnamed arresting officer dragging Oranchak from the driver's seat after troopers forced her to stop the vehicle after she resisted their attempts to pull her over.

NYSP PIO, /YouTube

Oranchak says she was bodyslammed on the hood, but the officer holds her arms behind her back and puts her close to, but not all the way up against, the back of her car.

When the police begin searching Oranchak's car and pockets, the front seat passenger swiftly informs them that she is pregnant. A few minutes later, Oranchak confirms this information.

The officer is seen on camera speaking to Oranchak politely and guiding her gently into the cruiser's backseat.

NYSP PIO, /YouTube

Oranchak is not handled by another officer, but one can be heard repeatedly calling her claims that she was not escaping arrest "bulls-t."

The officer returns back to Oranchak's car, retrieves her water bottle, and holds it out for her to drink after she twice requests something to drink due to her pregnancy.

Oranchak's treatment by police after being placed in the cruiser's back seat is unknown.

NYSP PIO, /YouTube

The pregnant woman was arrested on drug possession and flight charges and taken to the Broome County Jail, where she was discovered unconscious six hours later.

According to Oranchak's attorneys, she was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where the newborn was pronounced dead from trauma.

“It is acknowledged that drugs were found but no one engaged in any violent conduct, no one resisted arrest, no one was doing anything other than in fact going to get laundry done when stopped by the police,” Personal Injury Attorney Ronald Benjamin said, according to News 12.

“The stop violated numerous protocols and yanking her out of the car like a rag doll and slamming her on the hood of the vehicle undoubtedly caused this child’s untimely demise and as such the family is demanding that there be an impartial investigation into the police conduct and resulting homicide.”

State police released a statement saying they are not to blame for the loss of the unborn child and that a "quantity of fentanyl and methamphetamine was located secreted" in Oranchak's body.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing.