Teacher's Dramatic Rescue of Choking Third Grader Caught On Video

A New Jersey teacher was praised for her heroic efforts after saving a choking third-grader during math class.

Robert, a nine-year-old student, was attempting to drink some water from his plastic water bottle during class at East Orange Community Charter School on Monday but was unable to remove the cap, per WABC-TV.

Instead, Robert decided to pull on the cap with his teeth, causing the small piece of plastic to get lodged in his airway.

He told a local news outlet that at first he wanted to try to cough out the cap in the sink but was unsuccessful.

That's when he notified his teacher, JaNiece Jenkins, who jumped into rescue mode.

"He was pointing to his neck and he's all flustered," Jenkins told WABC-TV. "He can't talk so then I just turn him around I perform the Heimlich maneuver and here we are."

Security footage obtained by WABC-TV showed Robert approach Jenkins while holding his throat before the teacher jumped into action and performed the Heimlich on the student.

The Heimlich maneuver is a series of abdominal thrusts that are used when a foreign object has lodged in the throat making it difficult or impossible to breathe. The maneuver was named after Henry Heimlich, who developed the lifesaving technique in 1974.

If the choking individual is unable to cough or talk, the American Red Cross recommends a "five-and-five" approach to delivering aid.

To perform the maneuver, the choking individual must stand up and the person administering first aid must stand behind the person, lean them forward, and give five hard blows to the back using the palm of the hand.

Then, place both arms around the waist of the choking individual and make a fist with one hand and place it just above the belly button, with the thumb facing in. Using the other hand to grab the fist, push the hand inward and upward five times.

The process is continued until the object is dislodged from the airway.

Jenkins will be honored with an award and proclamation by the East Orange Mayor Ted Green and Congressman Donald Payne Jr. for her quick rescue, WCBS-TV reported.

Newsweek reached out to JaNiece Jenkins and the East Orange Community Charter School for comment.

Jenkins is just one of a few teachers who were praised for going above and beyond for their students.

In Utah, an elementary school teacher was hailed a hero after rescuing a young girl from an attempted kidnapping at the school's playground.

Another teacher went viral after posting a video to TikTok about how they provide a hockey puck at each student's desk in case of an active shooter situation.

At a school in Spain, two male teachers wore skirts to school as an act of solidarity toward a student who was being bullied and to encourage students to express themselves.