A sandwich shop employee is hailed as a hero for saving a customer’s life.
The customer was inside Rockaway’s Primo Hoagies when she began to choke. Meanwhile, an employee rushed in.
“She came running over and at first I was like, ‘Are you okay? “I’m at a loss for words. So I ask, ‘Are you choking?'”
Surveillance video from inside the store shows the moment Buccelli stepped into action and performed the Heimlich maneuver on a customer.
“She started crying. She was like, ‘Thank you very much. Thank you so much. You saved my life.’ She kept repeating it over and over. Before she left At the time, we sat here with us for about half an hour just to make sure she was okay.
Buccelli is no stranger to emergencies. She is a member of the Randolph Fire Department.
“I joined the fire department when I was 16, so I have to recertify for CPR every two years,” she says.
PrimoHoagies owners say more staff need to be trained in CPR.
“Now that we have a new store and new staff, we are thinking about training and getting CPR certified in case something like this happens again,” says Buccelli.
Buccelli received a $1,000 bonus from the sandwich shop for a job well done.