Arizona police officers alleged that hospital staff, including a licensed doctor, rushed to judgment.
By Catholics for Catholics
A toddler from Arizona who was pronounced dead by a doctor after being pulled from a backyard pool, was found to be alive and breathing in a morgue.
According to a story by the Daily Wire, first responders rushed in February an 18-month-old to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center after he was found inside the family’s home pool on Super Bowl Sunday, according to police records obtained by ABC1. The baby was identified as Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino, who was underwater for about five minutes.
The officer’s body camera footage shows them with the Gilbert Police force responding to the scene and carrying the toddler inside the hospital.
Quoting police records, ABC15 reported that officers detected multiple signs of life and contended that hospital staff, including a licensed doctor, rushed to judgment.
One of the officers said that he heard a nurse saying finding a pulse and tried to make the doctor aware, but claims the physician quickly dismissed his concerns.
The police officer in his report said the doctor, identified as Dr. Aryan Toosi, “arrogantly told me that he was the doctor, he has the medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing,” according to ABC15. The outlet located that quarrelsome exchange in the body camera video moments before he declared the baby dead.
“I went to medical school for a reason,” he is heard saying. “Let me just clarify.”
🇺🇸 Holy shit! Arizona toddler declared dead by a doctor after a pool incident was later found breathing in the hospital morgue, over 5 hours later.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 3, 2026
Police reports and bodycam show officers saw signs of life multiple times, but they were ignored.
Now fighting for recovery with… pic.twitter.com/WIu8AczOqq
The doctor declared the baby dead, according to the police records. Over the next hour, however, police officers reported hearing the child make “gasping sounds.” Right before the baby was transported to the morgue, officers said they heard “another audible gasp.” Almost an hour later, inside the cold morgue, an officer said she observed “another gasp or air release.”
Five hours later–right before midnight–a medical examiner found the baby was breathing inside the morgue. He was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. On the official police records, law enforcement said the baby was “pronounced deceased in error,” according to ABC15.
“Despite this miracle, Vincent still faces a long and challenging recovery. He will need extensive therapy, ongoing medical monitoring, and support for his healing organs,” the fundraising page read.
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