Quick-Acting Deputy in New Mexico Saves 1-Year-Old Girl Who Was Choking on a Cheeto

Deputy Patrick Ficke of the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico was in the right place at the right time when a family needed his help. He says he noticed a car driving erratically on the road and pulled it over. After stopping, the driver jumped out and asked for help. 

“He said his baby was not breathing, so he started pulling his baby out, and I could see the baby was still and purple,” Patrick Ficke said.

The Deputy said when he checked the 1-year-old’s airway, he saw it was obstructed. He started performing the Heimlich maneuver in hopes of getting her breathing again. 

It was a tense and long minute, but it finally worked. 

“After about 45 seconds to a minute of giving the Heimlich, the Cheeto she was choking on came out, and she started crying where I turned her back up and just tried to comfort her,” he reveals.

The child was understandably upset, but deputy Ficke and her parents were relieved. 

“It was scary for a bit,” he points out. “But one thing with calls, you never want to see a child hurt.” 

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