WHEC - "A split second decision to act saves a Rochester man’s life.
Surveillance video shows a restaurant owner performing the Heimlich maneuver on a customer who was gasping for air, choking on a piece of salad lodged in his throat.
It all happened during Tuesday’s lunchtime rush at Antonetta’s Restaurant on Jay Street. The video captured on security cameras shows the restaurant’s owner, Matt Petrillo, walking by the table and quickly realizing something was wrong.
“I noticed a regular customers of ours was knocking on the table aggressively, trying to signal to me in some way…it took me a moment to process but I realized he was choking,” said Petrillo, recalling the moment he recognized the signs. “He was gasping for air. He kinda turned to let me know ‘hey can you do this’ so I walked up behind him to do CPR.”