A California mother watched in terror as Rialto police officers used a LifeVac suction device to save her unconscious 3-year-old son who had choked on vomit and stopped breathing.
The rescue unfolded Aug. 5 around 12:10 p.m. On the 300 block of East Foothill Boulevard in Rialto, San Bernardino County, after the woman, driving a white SUV, realized her boy was choking and pulled over.
She frantically called 911 while holding her son’s limp body on the sidewalk.
Officers arrived to find the distraught mother clutching the unresponsive child.
One officer grabbed the LifeVac device from his patrol vehicle.
He pressed the suction mask over the boy’s face and pulled the handle upward in a swift motion.
The device failed to clear the obstruction on the first attempt.
The officer and his colleagues laid the child down on the sidewalk.
They continued creating suction with the LifeVac through several more compressions.
Finally, the boy took a breath.
He regained consciousness.
“I felt my son was dying on me,” the mother later recalled of the harrowing ordeal.
Body-camera footage shows the aftermath at the hospital.
The mother sat with her recovering son in her lap on a hospital bed.
She thanked the officers for their quick action.
Rialto Fire Department paramedics transported the child to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
The police department released the dramatic body-cam video of the rescue.
The footage shows the officers’ urgent movements as they worked to revive the toddler.
LifeVac is a portable, non-invasive airway clearance device that uses suction to remove obstructions.
The device is designed for use when established choking protocols have failed.
It comes with pediatric and adult masks.
The company claims over 6,400 documented saves worldwide.
The FDA has authorized one anti-choking device for marketing in the U.S. As of March 2026.
In the viral moment that preceded the reunion, the mother had been driving her white SUV when her son began choking on vomit. She pulled over near the 300 block of East Foothill Boulevard and called 911. Officers found her holding the unconscious boy on the sidewalk. One officer retrieved the LifeVac from his vehicle and, after several attempts, successfully cleared the airway. The child began breathing again before fire crews arrived to take him to the hospital.
Rialto PD Captain Lamont Quarker addressed the incident to KTLA.
“This incident highlights the importance of equipping first responders with lifesaving tools and providing officers with the training necessary to respond effectively during critical medical emergencies,” Quarker said.
The boy and his mother reunited with the officers Tuesday in a follow-up meeting.
The department has not announced additional public appearances by the officers involved.