A newly minted Arkansas police officer is already being praised as a hero after a dramatic rescue of a choking infant.
Pottsville Police Officer Cody Hubbard, 23, was dispatched to help newborn son, Grady, who was turning purple after the 3-week-old child began choking on anti-gas drops.
Click here to get positive story updates in your inbox!
“A normal day went to a chaotic day in a matter of seconds,” Hubbard, a parent himself, told KLRT, adding that he prayed the entire way there for the Lord to help him.
Dramatic bodycam footage shows the officer patting the baby’s back as the family anxiously looks on.
“When a family is depending on you like that, you know the pressure hits,” Hubbard explained.
“He saved my baby’s life,” Joe Chronister, Grady’s father, told the news station, adding that the family tried everything before the officer arrived and appeared to know exactly what to do.
The new officer said he broke down in “happy tears” in his cruiser.
RELATED: ‘She’s a hero’: Pregnant mom risks her life to save kids from drowning
Hubbard will be receiving an award later this month for his heroic actions.
“As an officer you never know what is ahead of you for the day, it can go from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye,” the Pottsville Police Department wrote in a post on Facebook. “Last Saturday Officer Hubbard went above and beyond to save a little life, thank you Officer Hubbard for your quick response. This is what we are all about!”
WATCH THE OFFICER’S INTERVIEW ON FOX 16 KLRT BELOW:
Caleb Parke is a senior correspondent for the ‘Todd Starnes Show.’ Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and connect with him at calebparke.com.