Video Captures New Jersey Teacher Saving Choking Student

Robert, a 9-year-old student at East Orange Community Charter School, was in math class when he reached for his water bottle for a sip. He decided to use his mouth to take off the cap, because he couldn’t with his hands, ABC 7 reports.

“And then I started it with my teeth and then I was squeezing it a little and then the water pushed the cap to my throat,” Robert said, according to ABC 7. “I was going to the sink trying to cough it out and I couldn’t so I ran very quickly to Ms. Jenkins.”

Jenkins saw the student frantically running toward her, pointing at his throat. Springing into action, she turned Robert around and used the Heimlich maneuver. The video shows the cap pop out of his mouth after a few seconds. Later, Jenkins grabbed Robert’s face to make sure he was OK.

“Once he was safe, I got him to the nurse and I felt 100% better,” Jenkins told NJ Advance Media, NJ.com reports. “Then my emotions got the best of me in hindsight, thinking of what could’ve happened. Thank God I was able to do what I did. This is the first time I ever did the [Heimlich maneuver] for real. I’m glad it worked.”