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Bodycam Shows Old Westbury Police Revive Diner Patron After Cardiac Arrest

The department credits AED‑equipped patrol cars for the quick save.

Overview

  • Body camera video shows officers moving 75-year-old Phillip Amico to the floor at the Old Westbury Diner, starting chest compressions, and delivering a shock with a defibrillator until he began breathing and speaking.
  • Amico, a grandfather from East Williston, later reunited with the responders and thanked them for giving him what he called a second chance.
  • Officer John Kassebaum led the initial CPR effort, with Officer Michael Avelin and Detective Michael Brown assisting, according to the reports.
  • The Old Westbury Police Department said every patrol car carries an automated external defibrillator, a policy it says made the rescue possible.
  • Medical experts quoted in the coverage note that fast CPR and early defibrillation can double or even triple survival odds in sudden cardiac arrest.