15-year-old Sydney Raley who works at a McDonald’s in Minnesota has recently been hailed a hero in her community after saving the life of a woman choking in the drive-thru.
Guys. You will WANT to tune into @kare11 for a very amazing story!!!! This is Sydney Raley. She is a ray of sunshine, a brilliant young woman who also happens to have autism. Yesterday, she noticed one of her customers choking at the @McDonalds drive-thru window, and she 1/ pic.twitter.com/TVBVtLcyG1
— Eva Andersen – KARE 11 News (@EvaKare11) December 19, 2021
The teenager was working the window during her Saturday shift when a woman receiving her order pulled up to the window and began choking on a chicken nugget.
“I noticed that she was coughing profusely, and her daughter just had this look on her face like sheer terror,” Sydney said in an interview with KARE 11. “I could tell, ‘Oh, crap, she’s choking.’ Just seeing that visceral reaction, I knew we need to act fast.”
Fearing for the woman’s life, Sydney did the unthinkable and leaped out of the drive-thru window to quickly get to the woman. Shen then started performing the Heimlich maneuver on the choking customer.
“I jumped out the window of the drive-thru and I got her out of the car and I told her daughter to call 911. I started doing the Heimlich maneuver, but I’m not really strong so it didn’t work the first couple times,” she said.
Sydney told the news station that she took first-aid training when she was 11 so she could become certified to be a babysitter – a skill she would later put to great use.
Great great story!
— Mike Henderson (@mhenderson33) December 20, 2021
Knowing that she wasn’t able to apply enough pressure to dislodge the chicken nugget from the choking customer’s throat, she called over a man who was bigger and stronger to help her.
“It could’ve ended a lot worse, but I am super thankful for that bystander who helped so much,” Sydney explained. “Because I am decent at first aid, but if it weren’t for him and our efforts together, it could’ve ended so much worse.”
Once two Eden Prairie Police Department officers arrived on the scene, they learned that the lady was no longer in danger and their help was also no longer needed.
However, both policemen were very impressed by Sydney’s actions that they rewarded her bravery by giving her $100 to take home that night.
“Our crime fund gave every officer $50 to hand out to wherever we feel the need, [including] if somebody did outstanding work, above and beyond,” Sgt. Scott Mittelstadt said. “She is well deserving of that money.”
on scene gave her $100 from their crime fund. Sydney was so humble about the whole situation and she lit up when talking about being recognized for it. We need more people like her!!! And she’s only 15! Watch on @kare11 at 10
3/3— Eva Andersen – KARE 11 News (@EvaKare11) December 19, 2021