New Jersey police officer saves student from choking at school
MONTVALE, New Jersey (WABC) -- A quick-thinking police officer came to the rescue of a girl at a New Jersey high school.
The officer was on duty in Montvale when he saw the girl turning blue. That's when he jumped into action and possibly saved her life.
There is real respect between Pascack Hills High School senior Sarah Bazzini and Officer Robert Caron. First, she wants to follow in his footsteps.
"I want to do what he does. Save lives every day," she said.
Sarah on Tuesday became living proof of that at the hands of the officer who's been helping protect her and her classmates for the past three years. Sarah was in the hall finishing her lunch when: "A french fry got lodged in my throat, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk," she said.
The school's security cameras recorded the harrowing moments. Officer Caron was making his rounds and was headed straight towards Sarah.
"I could see that she was tilted over, her lips were a little blue," he said. "She started giving me the choke signal."
"I slowly felt myself fainting away honestly," said Sarah. "I felt tingles and saw a little blurriness, it was really hard."
Officer Caron, who spent 30 years on the Woodcliff Lake police force, some as a captain, went immediately into life-saver mode.
"I asked her if she was choking, she said yes so I immediately at that time I knew I had to do something," said Officer Caron. "So I began the Heimlich maneuver, I gave her approximately five abdominal thrusts and at that time she began to cry and gasp for air."
Officer Caron will quickly say to anyone that he did exactly what any other officer would have done. But there has to be something extra special about knowing he saved a young lady who plans to follow his lead.
"She had asked me several questions about how to get involved in becoming a police officer and so it was very special to know that maybe I helped a future cop," said Officer Caron.
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