Hero 7th Grader Saves Classmate’s Life Because SpongeBob Taught Him the Heimlich Maneuver

He lives in a pineapple under the sea and still he’s teaching kids lessons that can actually save lives, so let’s have a round of applause for SpongeBob Squarepants and the hero seventh grader who saved a classmate’s life with the Heimlich maneuver this week.

According to The Daily Meal, Brandon Williams is a 13-year-old living with autism who is a seventh grader at Barnes Intermediate School in Staten Island. Williams was having lunch with the rest of his class when his friend Jessica Pellegrino started choking on an apple.

As soon as he saw what was happening, Williams reportedly grabbed Pellegrino in a bear hug and thrust his fists into her abdomen in a textbook-perfect Heimlich maneuver that successfully dislodged the apple and saved Pellegrino’s life.

Williams is a big SpongeBob fan, and he said he learned the Heimlich from watching the cartoon. That’s pretty amazing.

“He picks up on things that most of us would miss, and files it all away in his head, and he can recall it all in an instant,” Williams’ father explained to Staten Island Live. “That’s how he knew instantly what to do. And we’re glad he did. We’re proud of him.”

There were adults present who were trained to handle such an emergency. Brian Griffin, for example, is a retired police officer who is Williams’ paraprofessional aide at school. Griffin also knows how to handle a choking emergency, but Williams had already jumped in and saved the day.

“The cafeteria is always very noisy, but I heard the kids calling me. I was ready to jump in, but Brandon had it,” Griffin said. “He was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Williams’ class held a party at school to thank him for his heroism. Some of his teachers and classmates say he should get a medal, but Williams modestly said he did not need one.

(Via Giphy)