Farmingdale middle school student saves best friend's life with Heimlich maneuver

Daniel Kelly gave his friend the Heimlich maneuver - clearing Anthony Agrillo's airway so he could breathe again.

News 12 Staff

Feb 9, 2023, 1:29 PM

Updated 681 days ago

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A Farmingdale middle school student helped save his best friend's life with a procedure he learned in health class.
Daniel Kelly jumped into action when his classmate Anthony Agrillo started choking on his lunch in the school cafeteria.
"I turned to him, I was banging on the table," Agrillo said.
Kelly gave his friend the Heimlich maneuver - clearing Agrillo's airway so he could breathe again.
"I got out of my seat really fast, I looked around to see what was happening and I just started to do it," Kelly says.
The young hero was taught by his father how to give the Heimlich and was just officially trained in the lifesaving procedure in his health class at Howitt Middle School.
"It is the most amazing moment to know we empowered our students to be heroes in the moment and that they actually applied what they have been learning," said Howitt Middle School Assistant Principal Cheryl DePierro.
Since the principal made an announcement about Kelly's lifesaving maneuver, he has become known in the school as the "Howitt Heimlich Hero."
Meanwhile, Kelly's friend is grateful that he has someone who knew exactly what to do.
"It felt good knowing I had a friend that would be there for me," Agrillo said.