14-Year-Old Performs Life-Saving Measures on Friend

Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus recently joined officials from the Town of Chester to honor 14-year-old Chester resident Ty’Shawn James for saving the life of his close friend last month by performing CPR on him with assistance from a County 911 dispatcher.

  “We are proud of Ty’Shawn’s heroics and the wonderful work that our 911 dispatchers perform every day,” Neuhaus said. “Ty’Shawn is a kind and caring young man, and certainly has a bright future ahead of him. We all have been touched by this story and are grateful that Ty’Shawn’s friend is expected to make a full recovery.”

   James was playing basketball with his 14-year-old friend on Sat., Mar. 27 at Chester Elementary School when the young man went into cardiac arrest and collapsed. James called 911 and dispatcher Stewart Matthew instructed James how to administer CPR on his ailing friend. After a few minutes, the teen began breathing and paramedics from Mobile Life Support and officers from the Town and Village of Chester Police Departments arrived at the scene.

   The young man, who has congenital heart disease, was rushed to Westchester Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. He is still recovering. James, a freshman at Chester Academy, recently met Matthew, a three-year veteran, at the Town of Chester’s Board Meeting. In a touching scene, Matthew and James shared a hug before the meeting with Ty’Shawn’s parents looking on.

  “For a child contacting 911, you couldn’t have asked for a better caller than Ty’Shawn,” Matthew said. “You could hear it in his voice that he was calm and could follow directions. I prayed for the family of the boy who collapsed after we hung up and I am glad that everything worked out. I was happy that I could be on that call with Ty’Shawn.”

911 Deputy Commissioner Allen Wierzbicki (from left), Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus, Ty’Shawn James, 911 Dispatcher Stewart Matthew & Greg Schmid, Director of Operations at the County’s 911 Center gather for a photo at the Town of Chester Board Meeting on Wed., Apr.14.