 Born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican immigrants, Spanish was Haslip's first language and he learned to speak English in kindergarten.His father, James Joseph (Jaime) Haslip (1915–1999) served in the United States Customs Service, beginning as a Merchant Marine until moving to patrolman and eventually deputy commissioner, marrying Jimmy's mother Virginia (Viera) Haslip (1912-2009) in 1937.Haslip moved to Huntington, New York when he was four years old.