A firefighter saved a choking diner by using his muscles to execute the perfect Heimlich maneuver on Friday night in Staten Island.
It was the first time rookie firefighter Stephen Cresci had ever performed the move, the New York Daily News reported. It was also a lucky break that he was at the restaurant, which he hadn't initially intended to visit that night.
The grateful survivor, Juan Camacho, took to national television to thank his savior.
The incident occurred when Cresci was out having dinner at an Italian restaurant with his pregnant wife. Juan Camacho, who was dining at a nearby table, started choking on a piece of lamb chop.
"I couldn't breathe anymore," he told Inside Edition.
Camacho's wife desperately tried to do the Heimlich maneuver but was unable to help her husband, which was when Cresci sprung into action, dislodging the chunk of meat with one powerful thrust under the choking man's ribcage, before slipping into the background again.
A witness, Scott Lobaido, recounted how Cresci "just sat down like nothing happened," CBS New York noted.
"It was like a Clint Eastwood movie. it was the coolest thing," he said.
By the time the flurry of activity died down, Cresci had already left and Camacho was unable to properly thank his savior, so he delivered a heartfelt message on national TV instead.
"I would love to say thank you again, sure," Camacho said, according to CBS News.
The story gained widespread attention and the two men were reunited to retell their stories to media on Monday.
"I was not thinking this was gonna get blown up like this, but I'm glad I could save someone's life," Cresci said, per the New York Daily News.