Officer’s Quick Actions Save Choking Baby
Thanks to the quick thinking of a local officer, a father can now breathe easier.
Detective Michael Greaney, a 40-year-old father of two, recalled the heart-stopping moment when he came to the aid of a choking baby on a Bronx freeway. He expressed his joy at being able to celebrate Christmas with his family.
Greaney was on his way to work at 8:45 a.m. on a Wednesday when he noticed a BMW driving erratically along the Bronx River Parkway.
“I followed the car and activated my sirens,” he shared. “The dad rolled down the window and shouted, ‘My baby is choking!’”
In an intense moment, Greaney hurriedly unbuckled the 8-month-old girl from her car seat. He flipped her over and delivered firm back blows—more than a dozen times—until he felt something come free.
“I didn’t see or feel anything come out, but she coughed as if she was relieved,” Greaney explained, who is stationed in the chief detective’s office.
“She let out a little scream, and we know that if she’s talking or crying, she’s not choking. So… that was reassuring,” he added.
As a father to kids aged 3 and 18 months, Greaney stayed calm but empathized with the father’s panic. “There’s definitely a swirl of emotions—shock, panic, fear, you name it,” he remarked.
Once the baby began breathing again, a passing nurse stopped to assist. “She said, ‘He’s fine. He’s breathing. You can give her back to dad,’” Greaney recounted.
After the life-saving efforts, the father simply thanked him. Greaney advised him to watch some YouTube videos on performing the Heimlich maneuver, just in case something similar happens in the future.
“I put the baby back in her car seat and left,” he said, later discovering that the footage of the rescue was circulating widely online.
“I mentioned it to a few people, but I never imagined it would gain this much attention,” he admitted.
Greaney learned that the baby was doing well after speaking with her father. “I’m just glad I could save her,” he noted, pointing out that it was unusual for such moments to be captured on camera.
“Every day, officers do incredible things that don’t make it to video,” he remarked. “It’s nice to share this story, but it’s not uncommon for us.”
“In the end, it was a happy day,” he concluded, reflecting on the successful outcome.
