Off-Duty Montco Officer Saves Woman Choking At Bucks Co. Restaurant

LOWER MORELAND, PA — Sean McCoy had the day off from work one day late last week and he had a gift card to P.F. Chang's so he and his wife decided to go out for a nice lunch together.

But this outing would turn out to be anything other than a routine meal.

McCoy, 40, a police officer in Lower Moreland Township, Montgomery County for the past 12 years, was seated at the Warrington, Bucks County eatery as appetizers were beginning to arrive when he got a tap on the arm.

An elderly woman who was seated nearby was trying to get McCoy's attention, but with the napkin covering her mouth, McCoy was initially unsure what she wanted.

"Was she bleeding, did she need something else," McCoy posited.

McCoy's wife said she felt as though the woman may have been choking on a piece of food, to which the older woman nodded in affirmation.

McCoy, who was off-duty at the time, quickly sprang into action, performing abdominal thrusts, also known as the Heimlich Maneuver, on the woman.

After about four to five thrusts, the woman tapped him on the arm to signify that the obstruction had been dislodged.

McCoy asked the woman, who is in her 80s, if she was able to breathe, to which she responded, "I think so."

Meanwhile, paramedics were already on their way, as McCoy had asked his wife to call 911 when the entire episode began to unfold.

McCoy, who spoke with Patch on Wednesday, said he then simply stayed with the woman and kept an eye on her until EMS got to the restaurant.

"It's one of those things you see on TV ... but how often does it really happen," McCoy told Patch. "I was just happy to be there to be able to help."

McCoy said he never ended up getting the woman's name or contact information, so he doesn't really know who she was.

He said he learned she was in her 80s, although he doesn't know her exact age.

McCoy, who resides in Montgomery County, said he doesn't know where the woman was from, but he did say she thanked him after the ordeal was over.

McCoy said he was just happy he was in the right place at the right time and that he was able to come to the aid of someone in need of help — even if it was during his day off from work in public service.