NYPD Officers Save Choking Infant in Bronx

Two NYPD officers are being hailed as heroes after saving a 10-month-old boy who was choking in the Bronx on September 26. Officers Julio Arias and Karolin Abreu Garcia of the 44th Precinct were responding to a different call when they were stopped by an individual who alerted them that a baby was not breathing.

The officers made a U-turn and found the child’s mother, 21-year-old Janibel Montana, holding her limp son outside an apartment building. Dramatic body camera footage captured the scene as Montana, visibly distressed, sought help.

Officer Arias took possession of the infant, identified as Jheyler Montero, and began administering back slaps to dislodge whatever was obstructing his airway. "I was giving him the backslaps," Arias stated during a reunion with Montana and Jheyler on Friday. "I had felt something fall off, and that’s when he started crying, started breathing again."

The baby began to cry less than a minute after Officer Arias initiated the life-saving procedure. Arias noted that an object fell from the child, though its identity remains unknown. "I feel like I was breathing again when I saw the baby crying. I noticed I wasn’t breathing either," Officer Garcia commented on the intense moment.

After ensuring Jheyler was transported to a hospital, the officers returned to check on his condition. During the reunion on Friday outside the 44th Precinct, Montana expressed her gratitude, calling the officers "mis héroes" (my heroes) in Spanish. The officers had the opportunity to hold Jheyler, who would celebrate his 11-month birthday the following day.

Montana recounted that she had been preparing food while Jheyler played in his crib when he suddenly became unresponsive. After attempting to assist him, she ran outside to seek help. Officer Arias, who has children of his own, performed this maneuver on a child for the first time. "I know this is a parent’s worst nightmare," he said, adding that his primary goal was to save the child long enough for emergency medical services to arrive.

While the specific object Jheyler choked on is not identified, Montana advised parents to closely supervise their children and keep small, potentially ingestible items out of their reach.