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PHILADELPHIA — Newly released police body camera footage captured the tense moments when a Philadelphia police sergeant rushed to save a choking toddler at a park, working frantically as bystanders looked on in panic.
Sgt. Thomas Cain was called to the playground in South Philadelphia back in March for reports of a child struggling to breathe. As he approached the crowd, someone handed him the toddler.
Cain immediately began striking the child’s back in an effort to clear her airway.
“Come on, baby. Come on,” he can be heard saying as the girl’s condition worsened.
Her eyes rolled back, her tongue began to swell, and she showed no signs of breathing.
“There was a ton of people out here, so I was trying to figure out kind of who was mom in that sense,” Cain said. “While I’m also trying to do CPR.”
He flipped the toddler over and continued back blows. Asked how many attempts it took, he said, “I would say closer to 30 at least.”
Moments later, the child let out a shallow breath. Cain said as medics arrived. He handed her to the ambulance crew, who began further treatment.
Cain said the moment brought immediate relief.
“Oh, absolutely. And then I was just making sure that she kept breathing,” he said. “There’s still a lot more to do. And that’s when our Philadelphia fire medics came rolling up.”
Police said the girl had been choking on a chip.
When asked about being called a hero, Cain credited his fellow officers.
“I mean, we do it every day. So it’s not just me, but I kind of my officers and stuff for being there,” he said.
Cain added that the biggest challenge was the toddler’s size and performing CPR while standing, with no flat surface nearby.
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