A former firefighter saved a 2-year-old Queens boy who nearly drowned in a neighbor’s pool during a block party yesterday.
The child’s parents learned that their son had fallen into the pool when they heard people screaming, authorities said.
Retired firefighter John Manzione, who was at the party on Jay Avenue near 66th Street in Maspeth, performed CPR while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
“I was here celebrating my mother’s birthday and the Fourth of July when I heard screams from around the corner,” said Manzione, 57, who retired in January after 32 years at Engine Co. 291 in Ridgewood, Queens.
“He wasn’t breathing and his eyes were rolled back in his head. Right away, all the training kicked in and I went on instinct.”
The child was initially in cardiac arrest, but EMTs revived him in the ambulance.
“This could have been a real tragedy,” Manzione said. “Luckily, there was a happy ending here today.”
The boy was taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where officials said he was awake and alert.