NEWBURGH - Tommy Boyd, head custodian at Horizons-on-the-Hudson Magnet School in Newburgh, recently came to the aid of a student in need and became a hero to students and staff in his building.

During the second grade lunch period, a student was eating his lunch with the other students, talking and laughing with his friends, when he suddenly stopped speaking and appeared distressed. Students quickly realized their classmate was choking.

Boyd frequently stays in the cafeteria during the lunch periods. He was near the student’s table and immediately recognized the signs that the child could not breathe. Having been trained in choking rescue during his military service, Boyd quickly delivered the Heimlich maneuver. The large piece of food was immediately ejected and the student breathed easily.

This is not the first time Boyd has performed this action. In 2014 he saved a student at Gardnertown Fundamental Magnet School.