A New York City man saved the life of a choking NYPD cop just days before Christmas – and the entire ordeal was captured on a security camera.
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The dramatic moment unfolded at a Staten Island diner on Dec. 16, when the NYPD officer was on his way to the bathroom and started choking. That’s when Rob Allegre, who was eating inside Staten Island Diner, approached the officer and started performing the Heimlich maneuver.
Others also came alongside Allegre to help the cop out.
“I was shocked. I just did it,” Allegre later said. “I didn’t even thick twice. I just got up and helped him, It worked out. It was perfect.”
The good samaritan told WPIX-TV that he performed the Heimlich three times before the officer started breathing.
The cop, who wishes to remain anonymous, survived the ordeal and is OK. Watch the incredible moment below:
Akis Iliopoulos, owner of the diner, said that the positive ending to the situation could have gone quite differently, especially if the officer went into the bathroom before someone could have saved him. Allegre, in fact, approached the cop right outside the restroom.
“If he would have went to the bathroom, it wouldn’t have been a good turnout,” Iliopoulos told WPIX. “Because we couldn’t hear him.”
Allegre’s wife, Jennifer, also expressed her elation that her husband saved a life, telling media that she was “in shock” when he initially called her after the ordeal and told her what happened.
“I’m just so proud of him. He is always willing to help out anyone who needs help, no matter what the situation is,” she said. “I’m a very proud wife!”