Methuen Police Save Life of Elderly Man Choking on Pancakes

A trio of Methuen Police officers are being commended for their efforts to save a city resident choking at his home Tuesday. (File photograph)

Methuen Police came to the rescue of an elderly city resident this week when they responded to a 911 call to aid a man who was choking on pancakes.

Officers Michael Robidoux and Matthew St. Jean responded to the Linton Avenue home of an 83-year-old man around noon on Tuesday after family members called police.

Seeing the man hunched over at his kitchen table, St. Jean quickly administered the Heimlich maneuver, causing the man to expel the food and begin breathing on his own.

“The quick and decisive actions by these officers likely saved this man’s life,” Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon said of the pair, who were assisted by fellow Officer Michael Havey, Jr. “The officers fell back on their training and were able to restore breathing in a situation where every second counts. I am incredibly proud of them and grateful that this citizen is able to return to his family.”

The man was taken to Lawrence General Hospital as a precaution and later released, Solomon said.