Dramatic moment heroic SoCal restaurant owner flies into action to save choking customer

An El Monte restaurant owner is being hailed as a hero after jumping into action to save a choking customer outside her busy eatery.

Surveillance footage captured the dramatic scene Sunday at Carnitas Y Chicharrones “El Gallo,” where owner Maria Molina said she was alerted that one of her regular customers was in distress.

Someone initially believed the customer just needed water, but Molina quickly realized that wasn’t the case when she went outside.

“I see it’s not about water. He couldn’t breathe anymore,” Molina told ABC7.

“He was choking on food, so I just reacted. It was so scary. It was really scary, so I just knew I had to do something.”

Molina performed the Heimlich maneuver on the customer, despite never having taken a CPR class. After several attempts, the food was dislodged and the man was able to breathe again.

The customer later thanked Molina for saving his life and gave her permission to share the surveillance video on social media.

The frightening ordeal has also inspired a new goal for the restaurant: Molina said she and her employees now plan to enroll in CPR classes.

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