Queens’ 1st New Millennium Baby Born At Elmhurst Hosp.

Two seconds after the year 2000 began last Saturday, Erna Sabovic made her entrance into the world at Elmhurst Hospital Center, becoming the first baby born in Queens in the new century and disputably the first born in New York City.

About three hours later, Grant Hernandez, a 7 pound 10 ounce boy, was delivered at the New York Hospital Queens.

Officials at Flushing Hospital reported four New Year’s Day births, but provided no details.

But along with the happy news, there was also some bad tidings to mark the new year’s arrival, one of the first homicides of the year.

At 11:40 p.m. New Year’s Day, Juldip Singh, 25, of 12-17 31st Ave., Astoria was found bleeding from head wounds in his livery cab at 39th Avenue and 30th Street, according to the police information bureau in Manhattan. Police spokesman Police Officer Jose Collado said Singh was removed to Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens where he later died.

Collado said witnesses told police a man and a woman, both African American, were seen getting out of Singh’s vehicle and getting into a passing yellow cab.Singh had also been robbed, police said.

According to Lata Vasconcellos, the press spokesperson at Elmhurst Hospital Center, babySabovic, 7 pounds 8 ounces and about 21 inches, was born to Remziga Sabovic and Duljko Kandic, a carpenter. Both are Astoria residents and refugees from Bosnia. Kandic arrived here about five years ago and Sabovic about a year ago, Vasconcellos said.

Sabovic had entered the hospital on New Year’s Eve and the birth of Erna, her first child, occurred without complications and she was discharged from the hospital on Monday.

In all, Vasconcellos reported, there were 13 babies born at the hospital on New Year’s Day, nine boys and four girls.

At NYHQ,Grant Hernandez was born at 10:59 a.m. on New Year’s day to Janet Nunez of Corona.The name of the father of the 19.5 inch boy was not listed, a hospital spokesman said. Nunez also was discharged from the hospital on Monday.

Hospital spokesperson Cynthia Miska also reported that the last baby of 1999 born at the hospital was TiffanyVelasco- Martos, an 8 pound 4 ounce, 21 inch long girl.Tiffany was born to Ana Velasco of Bayside.

Hospital officials gave the two new mothers $250 savings bonds and other gifts to mark the happy and historic occasions.

Meanwhile, a good natured dispute over "first baby of the century"honors developed as the Sisters of Charity Medical Center onStaten Island reported the birth of a baby girl at one second after midnight Jan. 1st.

"It was not planned that way, that is when God intended it to happen,"said hospital spokesman Kip Jackson.

But Vasconcellos at Elmhurst Hospital admitting to "a little bit of a controversy" over first place honors, said "We consider Erna as the first baby born in the city in the new millennium."

She stated, "Our baby was fully out and screaming at two seconds after midnight and that’s when we called it.I don’t know how Staten Island pronounced it."

But putting aside the dispute, Vasconcellos said, "The important thing is that Erna is healthy and strong.We are proud and happy that she was born here without complications and has gone home with her mother."

No babies were born at Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens (formerly Western Queens CommunityHospital) at 25-10 30th Ave.,Astoria which has no in-patient obstetrics services.