QUEENS — Two Jamaica police officers saved an 18-month old boy who stopped breathing after he choked on an apple, police said.
Officers Scott Nieri and Gobin Raghunath, of the 103rd Precinct, were investigating an auto theft report at 148th Street and Liberty Avenue on Sunday, June 28, when around 1:30 p.m. a man holding his son ran up to them screaming in panic that his baby was choking on an apple and could not breathe, police said.
The officers took the infant and, while calling for EMS, they kept trying to remove the object from the baby’s airway by using the so-called Heimlich Maneuver, police said.
They were not able to take it out and the baby became unresponsive and stopped breathing, police said.
The officers then began chest compressions and after 4 to 5 minutes the boy began to cry and breathe on his own, sources said.
EMS personnel arrived shortly after and took the baby to Jamaica Hospital.
The infant, police said, is stable and is expected to make a full recovery.
Officer Nieri and Raghunath revived a lifeless 18 month old today withCPR. Baby going to be fine. All in a day's work pic.twitter.com/YE8IQvS4vZ
— NYPD 103rd Precinct (@NYPD103Pct) June 28, 2015
In November, Officer Raghunath was involved in another publicized incident when he was struck in the head with a crowbar while responding to a burglary in progress in a different portion of the neighborhood.
Raghunath was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, and released the same day after getting several stitches, police said.