Read the full story HERE››
By Kristina Bugante
(NBC 7) –
When Eva Najar noticed that her 16-month-old grandson Jonathan was choking on his food during lunch, she immediately froze.
“It was very scary,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Fortunately, Sgt. Craig Odom of the Fullerton Police Department happened to be at that same restaurant, El Camino Real, during that same lunch hour Thursday afternoon.
Odom noticed Jonathan turning blue and immediately sprang into action. He picked the baby up and started doing the Heimlich maneuver on him. Jonathan then threw up three times.
“He was quick,” Najar said. “He was our angel. He really was our angel.”
Najar brought Jonathan and their family down to the police station Friday afternoon to thank Odom. They greeted him with balloons, baked goods and lots of hugs.
“We have Jonathan home with us today because of him,” she said.
This is the third time Odom has saved a life in the recent years — in 2012, he pulled a woman from a burning vehicle, and during a welfare check in 2014 he gave an woman CPR after noticing she was unconscious through her bedroom window.
“I believe he’s an angel sent from God,” Najar said.
Odom denied requests for interviews.
