Roger Caron
No one else seemed to notice it yet. But he had years of experience and training, which is why he instantly knew that something bad was coming. He quickly and quietly made his way through the sea of people, making his way to his target.
As he grabbed ahold of the girl, another student noticed, “What are you doing?!” He shook his head, motioning for everyone to step away.
Love Or Hate
Roger Caron was a trained and experienced security guard, which is why the Pascack Hills High School in New York decided to hire him. But even before his first day on the job, there was some controversy around the school’s decision to hire Caron.
People weren’t worried about the position itself, they were wary of the job he had before.
The Girl
You see, for 34 years, the ex-cop served the Woodcliff Lake Police Department, and he had a reputation for being tough, but fair. People either loved or hated him.
For this reason, reactions were mixed when he agreed to work for the school. He knew what everyone was thinking, but he was determined to show them that he was the right person for the job.
There Was A Crowd
His presence was intimidating as he walked through the school halls. Wherever he went, students would instantly straighten themselves up and behave, shying away from him – except for a certain girl.
She would often walk up to Caron and speak to him. It was clear that she enjoyed his company. Usually, their interactions were rather uninteresting, until one fateful day.
Sarah Buzzini
The day started just like any other. Caron stood by a wall, his hands on his belt as his eyes scanned the action around him. To everyone else, he seemed rather calm, but on the inside, years of training were working at full throttle.
Caron knew that whenever there was a crowd, anything could happen. It was the start of the second half of the day, and he was prepared for the unexpected, as usual.
He Wanted To Help
Soon enough, the bell rang, and students swarmed from the cafeteria. Some of them were still stuffing food down their throats, in too much of a rush to chew properly. During the rush, one girl passed Caron and flashed him a quick smile.
The girl was Sarah Buzzini, the girl that always seemed to be unphased by him. He grinned back, watching her pass by.
She Was Talkative
To him, they had a student-teacher relationship. He always loved kids, and he liked the idea of helping a kid out of a hard time, that’s why he took the job in the first place.
He wanted to positively impact the students’ lives in whatever way he could. But little did he know what kind of problems Sarah Buzzini would present to him.
Without Direction
Sarah was a sweet and bright student. She loved talking to people, and she was never shy. Everyone knew that she had a tremendous interest in people’s lives – especially Caron’s.
He remembered that she mentioned wanting to be a cop someday. He knew that she looked up to him, and she would often ask for guidance. Caron’s eyes stayed on her as she walked by. But then he noticed something strange.
A Helping Hand
His eyes stayed on the 18-year-old as she walked by, but then he noticed that she started moving strangely. He noticed that each step she took was with purpose but without direction.
At this point, he was used to watching out for anything irregular – from deformed clothes that could be hiding something to darting eyes and suspicious behavior. He was always vigilant and he was always right. That’s why he was so good at his job.
Moving Hands
He watched her closely, wondering if she was maybe distracted by her phone. But as he watched, he witnessed another hesitant stumble and started making his way toward her.
He instantly knew that this wasn’t normal behavior. He hoped she hadn’t ingested anything illegal. What if she was intoxicated? But he would soon learn that the truth was far more terrifying.
Something’s Wrong
He walked his way through the busy flow of students, keeping an eye on her bright yellow shirt. Something felt very off. He had to check it out – even if he was wrong.
Sarah took a few more strides forward. It was like she wanted to go somewhere, but couldn’t move. Then, her hands started to flap.
Couldn’t Speak
He walked faster, keeping a very close eye. Maybe she was motioning to a friend? The classmates around her weren’t reacting. She started to sway.
“Not good,” he thought. Now, he was sure. Something was definitely wrong with her. His heartbeat picked up as he pushed through the crowd and planted himself in front of the girl. What he saw next was frightening.
See It Before
Caron grabbed her arms and took a good look at her. She couldn’t speak. He tried asking what was wrong but he got no answer.
Her face was pale and her eyes were wide and terrified. Was she having a seizure? Did she take something? Just then, the girl hand-gestured something.
No Air
The two rosy lips that usually smiled at him now had a blue tinge. Her eyes fluttered and her frantic limbs started to slow down and drop at her side.
Caron had seen this before. If he understood her hand gestures correctly, he had to act now. But first, he was required to ask something.
Panicking
“Sarah, I’m going to touch you okay?” She looked up at him, fading away, and gave a clear nod. With all the school regulations about physical contact and horror stories about adults being penalized for the craziest things, he needed to ask.
He hoped there was no need to ask but he knew how situations could be twisted and distorted. He acted quickly.
Not Working
There was no more time to waste. Caron swung himself behind her, positioned his hands just above her navel, and pulled in and up. He pulled hard twice but there was nothing.
She was now completely limp. He panicked and quickly tried again. He wasn’t going to let her end like this. He used more force.
French Fry Culprit
Nothing came out. By now a large crowd had gathered around them, some confused, others very worried. Three more times he tried. “Come on, Sarah,” he said, trying again.
He was moving her around like a rag doll. He could feel that she was slipping. Whatever she was choking on was incredibly stubborn. More people started to gather.
Saved
Caron continued to give her the Heinrich maneuver. Each time he used more and more force. He began to panic and yelled at the students to get more help. But just then, relief.
His force pushed a French fry out of her windpipe and sent it sailing to the floor. Next was a loud gulp of air.
In Shock
It seems the girl had been in such a rush to eat her food before getting to class, that one tiny fry had gone down the wrong way. She had tried to wash it down with a drink but nothing worked.
“I knew it was lodged in my throat, my drink which I had in my hand couldn’t get it down,” she said. “After a couple of seconds, I slowly felt myself fading, to be honest with you.”
Utter Gratitude
As the air came back into Sarah’s lungs, she crumpled into Caron’s arms and cried. He picked her up in his strong arms.
She was still in pain and was feeling weak from the shock. Caron shouted at everyone to disperse and brought her to receive help. The students cheered and clapped but they weren’t out of the woods yet.
Road To Recovery
Speaking of the incident, Caron recalled “I noticed Sarah didn’t seem right. She was stumbling a bit, moving very quickly. The closer I got I realized her color was off and she ran up to me and started giving me the choke signal. At that point, I knew exactly what was wrong.”
But did they face any consequences?
Special Bond
Caron took her to the nurse. Aside from some moderate bruising around her ribs (which would be normal in cases like these) and being a little shaken, she was in fine health.
She was also described to look at Caron with teary awe and gratitude. What happened next was even better news for both of them.
Ridiculous Complaints
It’s no surprise that the special bond grew even stronger. Aside from being something she aspired to be when she went into a law enforcement career, he was now her hero.
The critics were silenced and the school board posted their own praises. But not everyone was happy.
Wearing The Uniform
There were some parents on the school board that questioned if it was appropriate for Caron to use such force on the young girl. In their mind, he could have handled it better. Some even suggested that a woman would have been more appropriate.
Most people were utterly appalled at these opinions and immediately shut down such immature complaints. As for Sarah’s future?
Despite remaining humble, and Caron saying it his pleasure and duty to protect the kids, Sarah is more determined than ever to follow in the officer’s footsteps.
It’s clear that one day she will wear the uniform and be saving people just like him. It’s a happy ending to the inspiring story from Pascack Hills High.