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McDonald’s employee saves choking customer [Video]

Published

4 years ago

December 24, 2021

McDonald's employee saves choking customer — Photo Credit: KARE 11

Sydney Raley, 15, was working her shift at McDonald’s when she noticed a customer choking on a chicken nugget.
The teen leapt out of the drive-thru window and asked another stranger to help her perform the Heimlich maneuver.
The fastfood franchise operator commended Sydney and the police awarded her $100 for her good deed.

A teenager working her shift at McDonald’s on Saturday was able to save a choking customer’s life thanks to her quick actions.

Sydney Raley, 15, was manning the drive-thru window at the McDonald’s in Eden Prairie, south of Minneapolis, when she saw a woman choking on a chicken nugget.

Sydney told CNN, “She was coughing like crazy, and I noticed she was gagging. Her daughter was in the passenger seat, and she looked so freaked out. I immediately knew, ‘Oh, no, she’s choking.’”

Sydney leaped out the drive-thru window and performed the Heimlich maneuver on the woman. When she spotted a nearby stranger, she asked them to help her. The two managed to “successfully dislodge the food from her throat.”

The woman thanked Sydney, and the Edina Police Department awarded the teen $100 for her good deed.

Sydney’s father, Tom, is proud of her actions. He told KARE 11, “I always tell her she has a gift, because she’s autistic. She can remember anything – do anything.”

Paul Ostergaard, the McDonald’s franchise’s owner-operator, also told USA TODAY that he is “extremely proud” of Sydney.

“Sydney truly personifies what it is to be a hero, and we are incredibly lucky to have her as a highly valued crew member at our Eden Prairie restaurant location,” he said.

“We are excited to see all of the well-deserved recognition she has received from the community and will continue to celebrate her courageous efforts of literally jumping out of the drive-thru window to provide aid to a customer in need,” he continued.