SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - A good Samaritan saved a choking baby’s life and left before the child’s family could thank him.
Shari Palladino was driving along State Road 84, Tuesday, when her 1-year-old granddaughter, Jaelyn, started choking in the back seat.
Palladino, her daughter and granddaughter were on their way home from a swimming pool when the child started choking on a pretzel.
“She wasn’t coughing, she wasn’t doing anything. She was just blue, and her mouth was open. She was just shaking her head,” said Danielle Palladino, who was sitting in the passenger seat at the time.
“So many things were going through my mind. It was the worst feeling in the world,” said Jaelyn’s grandmother.
Jaelyn’s grandmother quickly pulled over to the side of the street and was able to flag down a retired police officer.
The officer started CPR and got the baby to breathe again. He quietly left after paramedics arrived.
Sunrise Fire Department Lt. Chris Russo said, “Think that made a world of a difference in the outcome of that child, that early abdominal thrust that the child was able to receive to dislodge the object.”
However, the good Samaritan left before the family could thank him.
“Thank God for this guy. He grabbed her, and he was doing CPR on her, and her saved her. He saved her life,” said the elder Palladino.
Jaelyn’s family hopes they can meet the retired officer again.
“You’re our hero. I want you to meet the baby that you saved,” said the grandmother.
Jaelyn’s mother said she believes parents with small children should learn CPR.
“I definitely recommend getting the class because we’re looking into it now,” she said. “Because when you don’t know what to do, it’s even scarier.”
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