WESTWOOD, N.J.—Residents are bombarding the Westwood Police Department with messages of congratulations and a job well done after two officers aided in saving a man they encountered choking at a local diner.
A Westwood Diner & Pancake House patron was turning blue and not breathing around 1:50 p.m. on New Year’s Day. Off-duty New Jersey State Police Major Michael Rinaldi was rendering aid when Westwood Police Officers Greg Dorfman and Stephanie Laurent arrived.
According to reports, the officers used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food then performed chest compressions to revive the victim.
Members of the Westwood Volunteer Ambulance Squad then took the victim just across Old Hook Road to Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center.
Police Chief Michael Pontillo told Pascack Press, “It’s nice to see newer officers performing at their best when situations are at their worst.”
He also praised Rinaldi, a Pascack Valley native, for his quick thinking and lifesaving actions.
Dorfman joined the borough police force two years ago. Laurent joined in December 2018.
On the department’s Facebook page, one resident hailed “The first of many lives saved by the men and women who protect us and the by Westwood Ambulance Corp. Great way to start off the new year.”
Another wrote, “Officer Dorfman and Stephanie Laurent were absolutely amazing in their efforts to help save this man’s life. It was terrifying to see this with my own eyes. They are an asset to the WWPD. We at the [diner] are still upset over this, hoping the man is OK!”