PHILADELPHIA — Newly released body-camera footage shows Philadelphia Police Sgt. Thomas Cain racing into a crowd at FDR Park and working to save a toddler who was choking on a chip, according to reports from WPVI-TV and ABC News.
The emergency happened at the Anna Verna Playground in South Philadelphia in March. WPVI reported that Cain responded after a child was struggling to breathe and that someone handed him the toddler as he reached the crowd.
Cain began repeated back slaps, then turned the child over and continued trying to clear her airway. In WPVI’s account, Cain said the girl’s condition worsened as her eyes rolled back, her tongue began to swell, and she showed no signs of breathing.
“Come on, baby. Come on,” Cain can be heard saying in the body-camera footage, according to WPVI.
ABC News identified the child as Emma and reported that her family said she began choking on a chip while at the playground. The family, who declined to appear on camera, credited Cain with saving her life and said she is now doing fine, ABC News reported.
Cain told WPVI he was trying to determine who the child’s mother was while also focusing on CPR and airway-clearing efforts. He estimated it took “closer to 30” back-slap attempts before the child let out a shallow breath.
Philadelphia fire medics arrived moments later and took over care. Cain told WPVI that the relief came quickly, but the job was not over: he wanted to make sure the child kept breathing until she could be handed to the ambulance crew.
When asked about being called a hero, Cain pointed back to the team around him. ABC News quoted him saying, “We do it every day, so it’s not just me, but I credit my officers and stuff for being there.”
The story is a reminder that police work often changes in a second — from patrol to lifesaving first aid — and that calm, immediate action can make all the difference before medics arrive.