Quick-Thinking Police Officers Save Life of Choking Baby

Two Rhode Island police officers are being praised for their quick actions that saved the life of a choking baby.

Published: 5/13/2019, 4:30:57 AM EDT

Quick-Thinking Police Officers Save Life of Choking Baby — A stock image of a police officer. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

WARWICK, Rhode Island—Two Rhode Island police officers are being praised for their quick actions that saved the life of a choking baby.

Warwick police officers Brian Holleran and Anthony D’Abrosca were responding to another call in Kohl’s parking lot on May 10 when they heard a woman calling for help.

Kohl's Warwick warehouse in Warwick, Rhode Island. (Screenshot/Google Maps) — Kohl's Warwick warehouse in Warwick, Rhode Island. Screenshot/Google Maps

Police say the two officers rushed into the store and saw that the 16-month-old baby was choking.

"A woman had come out of Kohl’s yelling, screaming, 'A baby is choking, she can’t breathe, we need help,'" Holleran told WPRI during an interview.

"Officer Holleran observed that the infant’s lips were light blue and did not observe any signs of breathing," authorities reported.

Holleran told WJAR that he gave the female infant a couple blows to the back and performed CPR.

"She was choking so I put her on the back side, gave her a couple blows to the back side, and then flipped her back over as in the training," said Holleran, according to WJAR.

After the officer’s actions, the baby was able to breathe again.

According to a statement on Facebook, the officers monitored the baby at the scene until the Warwick Fire Department arrived and transported her to Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

She is expected to make a full recovery.

The baby’s foster mother, Elaine Martinez, told WJAR she thanked God the officers were there at that moment.

"I’m a true believer that in my life God puts me where I’m supposed to be. That’s why I’m here in Warwick and that’s why I was there at Kohl’s that day,” said Holleran.

Choking in the United States

According to the National Safety Council, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States.

It does not only occur with infants. More than half of the people that died from choking in 2015 were over the age of 74.

Their website provides instructions on how to properly perform the Heimlich Maneuver.

NTD News staff and The Associated Press contributed to this article.