Advertisement |
"It was draped with a light blanket, and I could see little feet out with the non-soled shoes and a bottle of milk," Short told WCVB.
He then smashed the car's window with his baton and attempted to breath into the "dead" and "lifeless" body.
"And I went to put my finger in its mouth and it was all resistance," he said. "And I'm like, 'This is a doll.'"
The "reborn" doll, owned by Carolynne Seiffert, which Short "rescued" was named Ainsley is valued at more than $2,000.
Seiffert owns about 40 of the dolls, which she purchased to cope with the loss of her son.
"I've been laughed at and embarrassed by all the fuss. You can't know how people choose to deal with their losses in life," she said.
Police offered to pay for the damage to Seiffert's car and she placed a bumper sticker on her car explaining that the doll is not a real baby to prevent officers like Short from feeling obligated to rescue it.
"I would never assume that it's a doll," he said. "I would always assume that it's a child. I would never do anything different."