WAYNE COUNTY, N.Y. — A teen is now a Wayne County Sheriff’s Office award recipient for springing into action to save his dad’s life.

LJ Croft saved Joe Croft, the chief deputy of the sheriff’s office. LJ and Joe were having a conversation at home when Joe started choking on food. LJ, who hasn’t even been trained on the Heimlich maneuver, immediately performed the maneuver on his dad anyway successfully dislodging the food he was choking on.

“I wasn’t thinking a lot. I just kind of did it. Just thought about what I saw in restaurants and on those posters,” LJ said.

Deputy Joe Croft praised his son’s quick thinking and bravery.

“It’s awesome that he had the courage to jump in and do it. Most people would stand around and watch and not do it. And he doesn’t have the training for it,” Croft said.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office handed LJ an award at a ceremony on Wednesday night for his quick actions that may have saved his dad’s life.

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