(NBC4i.com) – A California student training to be a paramedic rescued a choking man at a coffee shop on his way to an interview for a job in the field.
Will Stewart, 23, a Sacramento State student, told InsideEdition.com that he was with a group of other paramedic students preparing to interview for an internship as a part of their curriculum.
To calm their nerves, they popped into a coffee shop across the street.
“We were sitting there, drinking our coffee when we heard him cough once,” Stewart said. “I looked over and he was just kind of leaning against his table. I thought, ‘He’s probably just coughing, breathed in some coffee or something.’”
Stewart said he then heard another cough but was alarmed when he heard the man fall silent.
“He was kind of just holding his chest and walking around in circles,” he explained. “I got kind of worried so I went over there, tapped him on the shoulder. He stuck his arms straight up so I went and did the Heimlich maneuver.”
The student, who is also a volunteer firefighter, explained he learned the warning signs and how to react from his classes.
“He wasn’t doing the traditional [signals], but he wasn’t moving any air so that’s what cued me to go over there and check on him,” Stewart said.
The man gave a thumbs-up to show he was doing fine, and Stewart said he promptly returned to his group, not wanting to draw any attention to what happened.
Moments later, he left his group and went to the interview.
