By Sarah Roebuck
Corrections1
NEW YORK — A toddler’s visit to Rikers Island took a terrifying turn when he started choking on a potato chip, prompting corrections officers to jump into action.
During a visit at Robert N. Davoren Center on Sept. 8, corrections officers Barbosa Jr., Stanislaus and McQueen noticed the 1-year-old struggling to breathe, bent over and unable to cry, the New York City Department of Corrections said.
Officer Stanislaus immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver, while McQueen called for medical assistance. Barbosa Jr., an 18-year veteran, told the New York Post that he heard an alert come over the radio, and that’s when he jumped in and started performing CPR.
CPR wasn’t working, so Barbosa Jr. said he put on gloves and “performed finger sweeps.”
Recalling the tense moments, Barbosa Jr. told the New York Post that the toddler’s abdomen was getting distended. That’s when he pushed his finger further down the child’s throat.
“I felt the chip move and then we instructed the mom to give him water and we continued to comfort both the baby and his mom until EMS arrived,” explained Barbosa Jr. “We want everyone, our partners, ourselves, the visitors and the persons in custody to remain safe every day. When we come to work, that’s what we do every day and we’re happy the baby is OK.”
Working together with the child’s mother, the three officers managed to clear the baby’s airway before NYCDOC physicians and FDNY EMS arrived to assist.
“This Department trains us in CPR and to be ready at all times to help when emergencies happen, whether it’s at work or on the streets, so we are trained for this,” said Stanislaus, a 14-year veteran. “It was scary, the baby’s lips turned blue, but we used our training to help him.”
McQueen, who has 17 years of service, added, “When we’re working on the visits floor, we’re security-minded and we’re always making sure that everyone is safe. When we see something wrong, whether it’s contraband or a medical emergency like this one, we immediately do our job and help.”
RNDC Acting Warden Chester praised the three officers for their outstanding response during the emergency and expressed his pride in having such dedicated correctional professionals on his team.
“We are extremely grateful that our officers were able to save this child’s life. Their training and experience kicked right in and they worked as a team to help him and his mother,” Chester added. “We call our officers heroes because that’s what they are: heroes. They are dealing with the public and persons in custody every day and they do what is required to keep us all safe.”
Corrections Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie took to X to commend the officers for their actions.
“Officers Barbosa Jr., Stanislaus and McQueen are shining examples of what it means to be a #DOC hero. They acted quickly, relied on their training and averted a terrible tragedy. I will be forever grateful for their heroic actions that day as will this beautiful family,” Maginley-Liddie said.
