It started out as a slow day at the Jersey Shore on a cloudy, chilly Friday morning. Winds were blowing northeast, and the rough waters were keeping swimmers from wading about anymore than waist deep into the Atlantic Ocean.
Seaside Heights lifeguard Peter LaQuaglia and a colleague took their lunch break at 11:45 a.m., heading to Spicy Cantina on the boardwalk, like he always does when he doesn’t bring lunch. Even on break, the lifeguards stay close in case of any emergency, he said.
And good thing they do, Beach Patrol Capt. Rob Connor said.
As LaQuaglia bit into his slice of buffalo chicken pizza, a woman on the boardwalk ran up and said a baby a few storefronts down was choking, he said. LaQuaglia threw his pizza on the ground and ran over to the grandmother and choking baby.
“I grabbed him, flipped him on my knee, and did the Heimlich maneuver on the infant,” the 20-year-old said. “I was hitting him on the back. I was careful, and he coughed it up.”
LaQuaglia laid him back down on the boardwalk and opened the baby’s airway using his fingers. The baby was choking on a plastic ring that came off a water bottle, he said.
Connor and other lifeguards were running to the boardwalk with a defibrillator and oxygen - but LaQuaglia had already done his job and saved the baby, the captain said.
“By the time I got there, I saw the two slices of pizza dropped on the boardwalk. And I knew those were our guys,” Connor said.
Pete LaQuaglia said his football days help him keep in shape for lifeguarding season. He was an all-star linebacker while at Toms River High School North (Courtesy Pete LaQuaglia)
Police and EMS responded to the call as well, and the baby recovered, officials said. LaQuaglia went about his day and headed back to the beach.
“It was a great day, but anything can happen and we don’t rest on our laurels here,” Connor said. “You got to be get ready for anything every day.”
The Toms River resident said he had just renewed his CPR license a few weeks ago, where he had practiced on a dummy. While he has rescued more than 20 people from rough waters or rip currents, this was his first medical rescue.
LaQuaglia, who was a standout linebacker at Toms River High School North and a former All-Shore defensive player, attributed his lifeguarding skills to his athleticism. He’s been playing football at McDaniel College in Maryland, and plans to transfer to University of Central Florida in the fall to continue pursuing his kinesiology degree.
“it definitely helps, just being in shape in general,” LaQuaglia pointed out. “We go into work and workout every morning whether it’s a couple mile runs or swims.”
He didn’t want too much attention for his actions, he said. Connor noted he’s a “pretty humble guy.”
“Having been on beach patrol for five years, stuff really does happen in the blink of an eye. You can be just sitting on the stands watching the water and something can happen in a split second,” LaQuaglia said. “You just have to react to it. It’s right time, right place.”
Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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