MONROE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Monroe City Police Department officer is being hailed a hero after helping a family whose baby was choking.
The incident happened on September 5 at a home on Harrison Street in Monroe.
"It was probably 15 minutes until the end of my shift. I was putting my gear away and that call comes out: baby unresponsive," said Jordan Patterson, rookie Monroe City police officer.
Patterson says within a minute, he was on scene. He says when he got there, the parents of the infant said they believed the baby was choking on something but they were not sure. Although the entire interaction lasted a few seconds, Patterson says it felt like an hour.
"I grabbed the baby. I did some back blows. It sounded like (the baby) started coughing it up but still wasn’t fully breathing but that’s when dad suctioned cupped what was in (her) mouth and that’s when the baby started crying," said Patterson.
Choking sends more than 12,000 children to the emergency room in the United States each year, according to the New York Department of Health.
"It’s scary obviously," said Athena Clawson who lives across the street. "I happened to look outside and noticed a fire truck and an ambulance and I noticed the cop had something in his hand and I couldn’t tell at first what it was. And, I noticed it was a little bitty baby."
Clawson, who is a nurse, says she ran across the street after asking her neighbors if they needed help but by then the officer and parents had gotten the baby to begin breathing again.
Patterson, who has been on the job for less than a year, says this is the second time he's had a call like this.
"I remember in the academy they were teaching us for like a month first aid on infants, adults, children and I thought no way am I ever going to have to use this, maybe once in my career," said Patterson.
The officer says despite the praise he's received from his superiors, this was a team effort. He credits help from the baby's father, his fellow emergency personnel and officers who followed on scene. He says it's things like this that let him know he chose the right career field.
"It feels good because hard work actually paid off and I’m glad I was able to assist that family. It’s why I got into this job," said Patterson.
