Deputies in Arizona saved a 2-week-old baby who was choking after the infant’s frantic parents made a desperate 911 call from a road, authorities said Friday.
The parents called 911 around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 as they drove toward I-17 in Yavapai County to find help after their newborn baby began struggling to breathe, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.
Responding deputies raced to find their car, eventually locating it, at which point bodycam footage shows them running toward the vehicle as the father rushed out holding the baby.
The father told deputies he had been performing infant CPR, back blows and sternum rubs for roughly 15 minutes. He said he got the child to cry briefly, but noted that the baby was still “breathing raggedly.”
NYPD OFFICERS SAVE CHOKING 2-YEAR-OLD BOY, BODYCAM VIDEO SHOWS
Video shows a deputy immediately taking the baby and beginning lifesaving care. After small chest compressions, another deputy advised turning the infant over. The deputy then delivered firm back slaps, clearing saliva from the baby’s airway and prompting him to cry.
For several tense minutes, the baby repeatedly went limp and stopped crying, forcing the deputy to continue stimulation to keep him breathing until firefighters and paramedics from the Mayer Fire Department arrived, the sheriff’s office said.
The infant was rushed to a hospital in Prescott Valley for oxygen treatment and later transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Authorities later confirmed the baby has fully recovered and is back home.
Sheriff David Rhodes praised the response, calling it every parent’s worst nightmare.
“This is the kind of call every parent dreads. Our deputies’ quick thinking, training, and teamwork made all the difference,” Rhodes said. “We are incredibly relieved that the baby is doing well at home.”
Officials said the incident underscores the importance of CPR training for adults, children and infants, noting that quick action can mean the difference between life and death.
