13-year-old hero: Wildwood, NJ, junior lifeguard saves classmate from choking

A junior lifeguard with the Wildwood Beach Patrol is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of a young classmate last month.

13-year-old Billy Carberry is an 8th grader at Our Lady of Calvary School in Northeast Philadelphia.

On Thursday, October 23rd, he noticed one of his pre-K classmates, Christopher, was waving his hands in distress and his face was red. Billy knew he was choking and leaped into action.

Carberry performed the Heimlich maneuver on Christopher and a piece of fruit dislodged, enabling him to breathe again.

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Billy's knowledge of that life-saving technique comes from his training as a Junior Lifeguard with the Wildwood Beach Patrol, a program he has participated in for several summers as a seasonal resident of Wildwood.

“I learned a lot about safety and how to help others,” he explained in a press release from the city.

When asked about the experience, Billy admitted he felt scared but was determined not to show it, saying, “I didn’t want Christopher to be scared.”

Wildwood Beach Patrol Captain Ed Schneider commended Billy's heroic efforts with an award recognizing his bravery and quick-thinking assistance to the boy who commented,

A great deal of credit goes to Junior Lifeguard Instructor Jack Rauchut and his team for teaching junior lifeguards how to recognize dangerous situations. Billy is a kid who paid attention and prevented a critical incident.