Off-Duty FDNY EMT Saves Woman Choking in Restaurant

Most people can't say that between appetizers and their entrée they saved someone's life, but EMT - and paramedic student - Michael Greco certainly can.

"It's something that anyone with our job, with our training, would just get up and do," he said. "It was just an instinct."

The three-year veteran of the FDNY was having dinner with his fiancée and their respective parents at Villagio restaurant in Whitestone, Queens, on May 29, when he heard someone at the other end of the dining room shout: "Choke!"

The three-year FDNY veteran immediately jumped up and saw the waiter nervously - and incorrectly - administering the Heimlich maneuver to a 72-year-old woman.

Noticing that the woman was turning blue, he ran over, stood the woman up, gave her three Heimlich thrusts and a piece of steak flew out of her mouth.

He said he stayed with her for a few minutes to make sure her heart rate was back to normal and, once things settled, went back to eating dinner.

"I didn't think much of it, but everyone was appreciative," he said.

He added that his fiancée did not think anything of his response - having seen him previously assist when they came upon an overturned vehicle and someone who lost consciousness while on vacation - but their parents were more surprised.

"To have my family see the work I do first hand was nice," he said. "It's what we do every day. There's no fanfare, we show up and do our job. I showed up and did my job then sat down to eat."