NEW YORK — When the chips were down, a New York City police officer acted quickly to save a stabbing victim’s life.
Ronald Kennedy, a member of the New York Police Department, used a bag of potato chips and duct tape to stop the victim’s bleeding on July 7, WABC reported.
Police body camera video released by the NYPD showed Kennedy calling for a bag of chips and then asking two bystanders to help him lay the 28-year-old man on his back, the television station reported.
Kennedy then improvised a tourniquet, placing the empty bag over the man’s chest wound and sealing it with the tape, WPIX reported.
“Above & beyond!” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea tweeted Friday. “NY’s #Finest at work.”
Before becoming a police officer, Kennedy was an emergency medical technician, so he knew he had to act quickly, WPIX reported.
“In that split second, I saw a lot of blood coming from his chest and worried about air getting into that puncture wound as well,” Kennedy told the television station.
“The effect was immediate and apparent,” NYPD Officer Matthew Grieve told WABC. “As soon as Ron finished basically getting that dressing on there, that bag of chips, right away we noticed it, a drastic improvement in his condition.”
The victim was taken to an area hospital and is still recovering, WABC reported. Doctors credited Kennedy’s actions for saving the victim’s life.
“It worked out really well,” Kennedy told the television station. “We made the right calls at the right time, and we’re really happy with how it worked out.”
Officer David Galindez later apprehended a person believed to be the assailant, according to WPIX.
On July 11, police arrested Eric Rodriguez, 38, on suspicion of attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, NBC News reported. New York City jail records indicate Rodriguez was released Friday.