Secaucus cop saves choking baby boy’s life

A Secaucus police officer helped save a five-month-old boy from choking on Wednesday, according to Chief Dennis Miller.

The boy's parents called 911 about 8:40 p.m. and reported the infant was turning blue, Miller said. While awaiting the arrival of police, emergency dispatchers instructed his mother on how to administer CPR.

Officer Mikhail Kowlessar administered "back slaps" to the boy, causing him to spit up a clear liquid. He then began breathing again. The infant was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center and was discharged on Thursday.

Miller praised the boy’s parents for following the directions of the 911 operator to administer CPR on their son before police arrived.

"Officer Kowlessar utilized his training and performed flawlessly, which undoubtedly saved this infant’s life. I am extremely proud of him,” Miller said.

Kowlessar recently graduated from the department's bicycle patrol school and will be assigned to patrol areas not easily accessible for cars, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

The Patch of Secaucus reported Kowlessar became an officer in 2018 after starting in the department as a dispatcher.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ