Riverhead Police Officer Lauded For 2 Saves In 1 Day

RIVERHEAD, NY — A Riverhead police officer is being lauded for the "heroic" measures he took Sunday to save two men in one day, police said.

According to Riverhead Town Police, on Sunday at 7:21 p.m., officers responded to a home on Hamilton Avenue after a report regarding a man who was "actively choking and in distress."

Riverhead police Officer Michael Lombardo, a 25-year veteran of the department, was the first at the scene and found the man on the front porch of the home choking, police said.

Lombardo ran to the porch and began to perform the Heimlich maneuver; it took numerous attempts to dislodge the food and the man started to become limp from the lack of oxygen, police said.

Ultimately, Lombardo was able to dislodge a piece of chicken and the man was able to breathe on his own. He was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center by the Riverhead Town Volunteer Ambulance Corps for further evaluation, police said.

The man was released from the hospital later Sunday night and was reported as doing fine, police said.

But the save wasn't Lombardo's first of the day. On Sunday at 3:15 p.m., the Riverhead Police Department responded to Industrial Boulevard after a report of a man with a "crushing hand injury," police said. The man's hand was trapped beneath his vehicle, police said.

Lombardo was the first officer on scene and found the man in distress, with his hand trapped underneath the brake rotor, police said. The man had taken off his tire when the jack tipped over, causing the vehicle to drop and the brake rotor to land directly onto his hand, police said.

Lombardo acted quickly and, using the same jack, lifted the car high enough so the man could free his hand, police said.

The man was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center by the Riverhead Town Volunteer Ambulance Corps for his injury and was later released from the hospital with a broken finger and lacerations to his hand, police said.

The Riverhead Police Department said they would like to acknowledge the excellent work done by Lombardo during the two incidents.