Two NYPD officers, Julio Arias and Karolin Abreu Garcia, saved a 10-month-old boy who was choking in the Bronx on September 26. The officers were responding to another call when they were alerted by a bystander near Grand Concourse and East 168th Street. They found the child's mother, 21-year-old Janibel Montana, outside holding her limp son and screaming for help.
Arias performed backslaps on the infant, Jheyler Montero, who was dressed in a dinosaur costume, to clear his airway. He reported that the baby began to cry less than a minute after he started the lifesaving measure.
During a reunion with the family outside the 44th Precinct, Montana referred to the officers as “mis héroes,” meaning “my heroes” in Spanish. The officers ensured that Jheyler was taken to a hospital and later returned to check on him. Montana recounted that she had been preparing food when she noticed her son had gone quiet, prompting her to seek help. She emphasized the importance of keeping small objects out of reach of children.