Officer Cameron Maciejewski performed back thrusts on the infant in an effort to clear her airway, eventually allowing her to cough up what had been obstructing her breathing.
A Michigan police officer is being praised as a “true hero” after he saved a 3-week-old newborn baby girl from choking, in a scene that was captured by dashcam video.
Sterling Heights Officer Cameron Maciejewski pulled up to a home late Thursday night to find the upset family holding the baby who was not breathing, according to a Facebook post from the Sterling Heights Police Department.
The tense footage that was released by the department shows Maciejewski taking the baby in his arms and performing back thrusts on the infant in an effort to clear her airway. The baby’s mother is then seen collapsing and breaking down in tears after the child’s airway is cleared and she begins to cry.
Detailing the events that took place in the dashcam video on their Facebook, the Sterling Heights Police Department wrote, “Ofc. Maciejewski calmly takes the baby in his arms and performs back thrusts in attempts to clear the baby’s air way [sic]. When doing so, the baby coughs up the obstruction and begins to cry.”
“If it wasn’t for Ofc. Maciejewski’s quick, calm, lifesaving actions, the outcome of this incident could have been tragically different,” the department shared. “Not only did the officer save the baby, but the officer did an outstanding job consoling the family.”
“Once again, the Sterling Heights Police Department strives to provide the best service to our citizens, especially when it matters most!” they concluded.
Another wrote, “You are a true hero. You were amazingly confident and calm through it all. Thank you SHPD and officer Maciejewski for serving our city.”
After the incident, Maciejewski credited his quick thinking and calm demeanor to his police training.
“If I start freaking or if I can’t handle myself or handle my cool, it just escalates everything for the family,” he said in an interview posted on the department’s social media.