Bodycam video shows Old Westbury, N.Y. police officers save diner patron from sudden cardiac arrest
Police officers in Nassau County are being lauded for their quick thinking after saving a diner patron who went into cardiac arrest last month.
On Monday, the victim thanked the Old Westbury Police officers who brought back his pulse.
Video shows officers quickly respond
Body camera videos show the officers spring into action after 75-year-old Phillip Amico went into sudden cardiac arrest, which can be fatal in minutes.
Amico, of East Williston, was having breakfast at the Old Westbury Diner with his accountant, when he started to sweat and then passed out.
"He stopped breathing for like a minute," diner manager Marlene Salna said.
Officers rushed to the scene when 911 was called. With Amico unresponsive, they gently moved him to the floor. When his pulse stopped, they began administering CPR and then shocked him with the defibrillator until he started breathing and then talking.
"It was a miraculous recovery to get to the scene of someone who was completely unresponsive, to going through that entire process to being able to speak," Old Westbury Chief of Police Stuart Cameron said.
"These guys did the right thing and I'm alive because of it"
Three weeks later, Amico, a retired banker and grandfather, reunited with the three officers who saved him. He said he is beyond thankful.
"It's emotional because without them, I'm not here," Amico said. "The most important thing to me is how these people responded. A minute here, a minute there, I would be dead.
"These guys did the right thing and I'm alive because of it," he added.
Amico said he passed out because his accountant "told me what I owe in taxes."
His tax bill still stinging, Amico has something priceless: a second chance at life.
Anyone can learn CPR and use it in a cardiac emergency, not just first responders. CPR can double or even triple the chance of survival, medical experts say.
"Quick hands on chest saves lives. It can be your family member. It can be a stranger in a mall or restaurant. Minutes save lives," said James Neitz, of Northwell Health Emergency Medical Services.
Responding officers receive commendations
Also important to note is an investment by the Old Westbury Police paid off. All of the department's police cars are equipped with defibrillators. The three officers involved in the incident at the diner were honored with life-saving commendations.
"A grandfather. It's great to see. It means a lot," Officer John Kassebaum said. "It's kind of what we all signed up to do. I became a police officer to help people and I got to do that.
Also honored were Officer Michael Avelin and Det. Michael Brown.
