Grandma wants to thank man who came to rescue

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Elaine Shallock is looking for assistance in finding the man who helped save the life of her granddaughter during a recent visit to the movie theater.

On June 20, Shallock, of the Morganville section of Marlboro, brought her two granddaughters and her grandson to the AMC Loews Freehold Metroplex to see the film "Up."

She never expected that a tiny Milk Dud candy would cause one of the girls to choke and that a man who was sitting behind the youngster would save the child's life."

I go to sleep at night and I see this guy and I really just don't think I thanked him properly," Shallock said.

Shallock said that about halfway through the movie she heard her granddaughter, Samantha Hummel, 10, of Wall Township, start coughing. She said even though the theater was dark she could tell by the look on the girl's face that something was wrong.

"I said, 'Sammy, can you talk?' and she looked horrible," Shallock said, explaining that she leaned over her grandson and tried to reach Samantha.

"I tried to do the Heimlich (maneuver), but I was not positioned correctly to do it," Shallock said.

Before she was able to grab Samantha and move her into the aisle where there would be more room, a man who was sitting behind the girl reached over the seats, grabbed Samantha and began to perform the Heimlich maneuver — which is designed to prevent a person from choking — on the youngster.

The seconds felt like minutes until Samantha coughed out the Milk Dud she had been eating, Shallock said. As the girl caught her breath, the man's wife offered the child a bottle of water.

Shallock said the people sitting around her family were extremely concerned for her granddaughter's well-being. Some people shouted for the lights to be turned on, others shouted for help to be called, but that was not necessary after the quickthinking man was able to dislodge the piece of candy.

When the ordeal was over, Shallock said, Samantha was fine, suffering only a scare at what had occurred.

The children later asked their grandmother if Samantha could have died. Shallock said she told them that was possible and said she told her grandchildren it is important to know the proper procedures to save a person's life in such a circumstance.

She told them they were very fortunate to have the man seated behind them.

At the movie's conclusion, Shallock said, she saw the man and thanked him again, but she said she was still so overcome with what had occurred that she felt she did not express her gratitude enough.

Shallock's daughter and son-in-law, Kristen and Chris Hummel, were away at the time of the incident and their two daughters were staying with their grandparents. When they heard about what had happened, the couple wanted to thank the man who helped their daughter.

Shallock and the Hummels would like to meet with the man who performed the Heimlich maneuver on Samantha to personally thank him for his help.

The grandmother described the man as being tall, in his late 40s, with brown hair and glasses. He was at the movies in the company of his wife, a tall woman with curly blond hair.

"I didn't get the chance to actually speak more than a few words to the gentleman who saved Samantha, so I want him to know that I thank him every day for being there and doing what he did for my granddaughter," Shallock said.

Shallock said she learned a lesson that she thinks everyone should take into consideration when they are at the movies.

"The one thing I learned from this experience is to be extra careful when your kids are eating in the dark theater or perhaps you won't be as lucky as we were," she said.

Editor's note: If the person who offered assistance to Samantha would like to respond, please contact Greater Media Newspapers at 732-358-5200, ext. 8277.