(ABC4) – Teachers and students spend a lot of time preparing for emergencies on campus, whether it’s an earthquake drill, a school lockdown or a medical emergency.
A third-grade elementary school teacher, JaNeice Jenkins, was forced to think fast, faced with an emergency when her student began choking on a water bottle cap during class.
The entire ordeal was caught on camera in a New Jersey elementary school on April 6.
In the CCTV footage, a 9-year-old boy is seen sitting at his desk while picking up a water bottle to take a sip.
As the boy grips the water bottle and tips his head back while drinking, the water bottle is seen exploding, rocketing the bottle cap into the boy’s throat.
As the boy realizes the cap is lodged in his throat, he quickly gets up and runs to a nearby sink inside the classroom. When his dislodging efforts fail, he runs directly to his teacher at the front of the classroom.
The boy is seen gesturing to his throat and chest, igniting the teacher’s life-saving efforts immediately.
The teacher is seen administering the Heimlich maneuver on the boy. After a few attempts, the bottle cap is seen shooting out of the boy’s mouth.
Afterward, the teacher comforts the boy, wiping away his tears as he collects himself and explains what happened.
“I didn’t really think, I just acted,” Jenkins recalls. “I saw he needed help, and I just sprang into action to help him. He couldn’t breathe, his face was pretty pale, and he had a look of desperation on his face.”
The school’s principal, Tracey Watkins, said, “This situation could have had a tragic outcome … we are so grateful to and proud of Ms. Jenkins.”
