An 8-year-old boy in Mesa, Arizona, is being praised as a “true hero” after he stepped up to save his friend who was choking in their elementary school cafeteria. Thomas Conley, a second grader at Porter Elementary School, noticed his friend choking on a grape, prompting him to leap into action, enacting a life-saving Heimlich maneuver.
Conley’s quick thinking and bravery dislodged the grape, saving his choking friend and fellow classmate Isaiah Rodriguez. Mesa Public Schools praised the young student for his heroic actions. “Thanks to Thomas’ quick thinking, Isaiah was able to breathe normally again. Thank you, Thomas, for your courage and for being a true hero!”
Thomas’s mother, Candice Conley, spoke to Fox News Digital, expressing how proud she was of her son. “We are so proud of him,” she said. “Thomas is very quick-thinking and active — and he’s just a really good friend.” She added, “I think a lot of people, maybe even some adults, might not realize that somebody’s choking. Thomas just knew that he had to get air to go up to dislodge the grape.”
“I’m super grateful, and I wanted him to know how proud I was of him and how thankful I was,” Isaiah’s mom, Maria Anderson, said in a video shared by Mesa Fire and Medical Department. “He and my son have been friends for a long time.” However, Conley further explained that Thomas has been “very nonchalant” about the harrowing incident that occurred last month.
“He was just like, ‘My friend needed help, and so I helped him,’” she noted. “It’s super cool that Thomas had a part in that and that we can raise awareness about choking, because it could have gone really awful that day.” Commenting on the widespread public praise he has received since his brave actions, Thomas said, “I’ve probably never had this much attention in my life.”
The Mesa Fire Department also applauded the young elementary school student. “Thomas turned a regular lunchtime into an extraordinary act of bravery, making a huge difference,” the fire department wrote. “Seeing his friend in distress, Thomas wasted no time and jumped into action, saving Isaiah’s life from a choking incident. Join us in applauding this young hero. Thomas, you inspire us to act courageously and promptly.”
In other news coming out of Mesa, Arizona, The American Tribune reported on a disturbing incident where an online prankster entered a Walmart and sprayed bug killer over food in the produce section. Subsequently, 27-year-old Charles Smith was arrested and charged over the incident, after sharing a video online of him allegedly committing the act.
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“He then sprayed the pesticide on various produce items, including vegetables, fruit, and rotisserie chickens that were available for purchase,” according to a statement regarding the incident from the Mesa Police Department “Smith filmed his face, the pesticide can, and the act of spraying. He later posted the video online.”
“Through investigative means, and with assistance from the Tempe Police Department, detectives were able to identify Smith as the suspect,” the statement added. “Mesa Police contacted Smith and he turned himself in voluntarily. During the interview, Smith admitted to the theft and spraying of the pesticide.” Watch the incident below: