Fast-Food Worker, 15, Jumps Out Of Drive-Thru Window, Rescuing Choking Customer

Dec 29, 2021 by apost team

A teenage girl saved a customer's life at her fast-food service job when she dove through the drive-thru window to administer the Heimlich maneuver to a woman who was choking. Sydney Raley from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is 15 and being lauded as a hero for her quick thinking and selfless act. Sydney didn't hesitate to jump through the window at her McDonald's job to quickly reach a choking customer who was with her daughter at the time.

At first, Sydney noticed that the woman was coughing, and it wasn't until she started gagging that the girl realized she was choking on a chicken nugget. Right away, Sydney went through the window to help the woman. The teen had learned the Heimlich at a babysitting class 4 years prior when she was 11-years-old. Fortunately, she remembered exactly what to do. She described it as her training kicking in and taking over. 

Sydney told the woman's daughter and her manager to call 911. When she wasn't able to dislodge the food, she flagged down a bystander to try. Working together and after several attempts, the woman coughed up the chicken nugget and was able to breathe again. The woman was in shock after the event but was very grateful toward Sydney.

The heroic teen was awarded $100 from the Eden Prairie police department for her courageous deed. Sydney has autism and her parents feel that it helped her remember the class from so many years ago in the heat of the moment. Keep reading to learn more about Sydney and how she saved a life. 

Sydney handed the woman her food, but before she could drive off, the teen knew something was wrong.

She told CNN, "She was coughing like crazy, and I noticed she was gagging. Her daughter was in the passenger seat and she looked so freaked out. I immediately knew 'Oh, no, she's choking."

Sydney's parents arrived to pick her up at the end of her shift and emergency services were still at the scene. "There was an ambulance and a police car sitting there and I looked at my wife and said, 'Please tell me that's not something for Sydney,'" her father Tom said. "And sure enough Sydney is sitting outside waiting for us to pick her up and says 'So this happened today.'"

Living with autism has not limited Sydney's capabilities and instead has benefitted her in some ways. "We always worried it was going to be a challenge for her, and it's done a complete 180", Tom told CNN. "It's actually been a blessing and a gift at this point. All the things we worried about never happened."

Paul Ostergaard, the owner-operator of the restaurant, told CNN in a written statement:

"We are incredibly proud of Sydney and her quick, heroic actions over the weekend to help one of our valued customers. Sydney truly personifies what it is to be a hero and we are incredibly lucky to have her as a highly-valued crew member at our Eden Prairie restaurant location. We are excited to see all of the well-deserved recognition she has received from the community and will continue to celebrate her courageous efforts of literally jumping out of the drive-thru window to provide aid to a customer in need."

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What do you think of Sydney's actions? Do you know how to administer the Heimlich maneuver? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to your friends and family.