Two NYPD officers are being praised for saving a 10-month-old boy who was choking inside his family’s Richmond Hill home earlier this month. The dramatic rescue, captured on body camera video, shows the officers springing into action as the baby’s terrified parents looked on.
Police Officers Botirjon Botirov and Gabriel Gonzalez, both from the 115th Precinct, responded to the emergency call around 4:40 p.m. on October 10. When they arrived at the home on 37th Avenue near 99th Street, they found family members frantically trying to help the child, who was struggling to breathe.
Body-worn camera footage obtained by the Daily News shows one of the officers taking the infant—dressed in white pajamas decorated with police cars and fire trucks—from a family member. The officer immediately began patting the baby’s back repeatedly in an effort to dislodge the obstruction.
After more than a dozen firm pats, the blockage came free. The child, who had stopped breathing, suddenly let out a loud cry as the officers and parents looked on in relief. The two officers then took turns comforting the baby until paramedics arrived.
Emergency medical services transported the infant to Elmhurst Hospital Center for observation, where he was evaluated and later sent home with his parents in good condition. According to police officials, both Botirov and Gonzalez have been with the NYPD for less than two years.
Their quick response and calm under pressure were credited with saving the boy’s life. All NYPD officers have been required to undergo CPR and life-saving training since 2017, following the passage of Briana’s Law. The law mandates CPR certification for all police officers before they graduate from the academy and requires recertification every two years.
Briana’s Law was named after 11-year-old Briana Ojeda, who died in 2010 from an asthma attack in Brooklyn. Her mother, Carmen Torres, was driving her to the hospital when she was stopped by an NYPD officer for driving the wrong way. The officer did not know CPR and was unable to revive the child.
The tragedy prompted statewide reforms to ensure that all police officers are equipped to respond to medical emergencies. The NYPD has since credited CPR and first-aid training with saving numerous lives. For Officers Botirov and Gonzalez, those lessons proved crucial in a moment that could have ended in tragedy but instead became a story of swift action and compassion.