Paterson firefighters save choking 4-month-old baby girl in New Jersey
PATERSON, New Jersey (WABC) -- Firefighters in New Jersey are being credited with helping to save a choking baby's life in Paterson on Tuesday morning.
A frantic mother banged on the windows at Paterson Fire Headquarters on McBride Avenue just before 9 a.m.
Her 4-month-old daughter Rihanye was choking on liquid medicine and turning blue -- so her instincts to get help kicked in.
"I grabbed a blanket with my baby and even though my baby's literally throwing up as I'm running with her, I'm stopping to make sure she's OK, I'm just running," Carolina Paula said.
Fire Marshal Pedro Cartagena jumped into action and quickly took the baby to perform life-saving back blows.
"She said I need to get in, she said my baby's choking, I gave the baby back blows when the baby started crying, EMS 7 came in and started assessing the whole situation and took over," Cartagena said.
After several attempts, the obstruction in the baby's airway was cleared and the little girl's color started to return to normal.
Other firefighters then stepped in to make sure the baby's airway was clear and monitored her breathing.
"I kind of blacked out after I saw you guys, I felt safe," Paula said.
The little girl was taken to a pediatrician to make sure everything was OK.
"This is what the Patterson Fire Department stands for, this is what we do, we're always ready to help, we're always prepared to help," said Paterson Fire Department Chief Alex Alicea.
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