Naperville student saves man from choking: ‘It was my fourth day on the job’
When Jackson Teran learned the Heimlich maneuver in 9th grade last year, he thought it was something good to know but not something he’d ever actually use.
Earlier this month, he proved himself wrong.
The Naperville North High School sophomore saved someone from choking during a shift as a busboy at the Downers Grove restaurant, Carnivore & the Queen.
In an interview this week, Jackson recalled the incident.
He was bussing tables and putting out new linens when he heard noises from across the restaurant, he said. He looked over and saw the commotion was coming from a man reaching for some water.
Jackson walked over and asked the man if he was all right. The man shook his head and stood up, and that’s when Jackson started performing the Heimlich maneuver. It took a few attempts, but he was able to dislodge whatever the man was choking on.
“Right after, I was just sort of thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this really happened,’” he said. “I just reacted the moment he stood up.”
Jackson added, “It was my fourth day on the job.”
He learned the Heimlich in his freshman physical education class, he said. At the time, he thought the lesson was just satisfying a requirement.
Now, he’s “realized that the things like this that we learn in school, we learn for a reason,” Jackson said. “It’s not just because they have to teach us.”
On the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Naperville School District 203 praised the 15-year-old student.
“Using the Heimlich maneuver that he learned in school, he jumped into action, saving (a) man’s life! We are so proud of his heroic actions!”
