El Monte restaurant owner saves choking diner with Heimlich maneuver

Maria Molina, owner of Carnitas Y Chicharrones "El Gallo" in El Monte, saved a choking regular customer Sunday by performing the Heimlich maneuver after initial attempts to help with water failed, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The incident, captured on the restaurant's surveillance cameras and later shared on social media with the customer's permission, is drawing attention across Southern California to the life-saving potential of bystander action — even without formal training.

Surveillance footage from inside the El Monte eatery showed Molina stepping in as a regular customer began choking on food and struggled to breathe, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Attempts to ease the blockage with water did not work, prompting Molina to try the Heimlich maneuver.

"I see it's not about water. He couldn't breathe anymore. He was choking on food, so I just reacted. It was so scary. It was really scary, so I just knew I had to do something," Molina told ABC7's Eyewitness News.

Molina performed the Heimlich maneuver on the customer multiple times until the food dislodged and he was able to breathe again, ABC7 reported. The customer, a regular at Carnitas Y Chicharrones "El Gallo," consented to having the video posted on social media after the incident.

Molina told ABC7 she had never taken a CPR class before Sunday's scare. Following the incident, she and her employees plan to enroll in CPR training, according to the report.

Molina said she and her restaurant staff plan to take CPR classes following the incident, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.