Long Island Hero Helps Save Man's Life

LONG ISLAND, NY - Some people might not know what to do in an emergency, but after nearly 20 years of experience, Long Island resident Sohail Peter is well-trained in helping people.

Luckily, he put that training to good use on Dec. 20 when a passenger on an MTA train suffered from a medical emergency.

The 5:17 train from Grand Central bound for Wassaic was moments away from closing its doors when a customer cried for help because a fellow passenger was lying on the train floor; it looked like he had stopped breathing, and his face was blue.

General Foreman Jason Tiller, who was on the train platform, heard the good Samaritan call for help and placed a radio call to the MTA Police Department and Metro-North’s Fire Brigade.

Assistant Conductor John Hagan then cleared a path so that first responders could get to the customer in distress as quickly as possible.

Just minutes later Peter, a Grand Central Terminal Fire Brigade volunteer responded to the scene along with the fire brigade assistant chief, Laurence Jacobs and several other MTA police officers.

Both men took the reins from another good Samaritan, an off-duty Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) who happened to be on board the train, who was performing manual CPR on the customer.

Jacobs and Peter moved the man from the aisle into an open space in the car so they could give him the care he desperately needed.

Peter then immediately administered two shocks to his chest with a defibrillator.

As the two men worked to save the man, MTA Police officers raced out to Lexington Avenue and waved down an ambulance.

"Shortly after we started working to resuscitate the man, we felt a pulse, and he started breathing again," That was the greatest moment."

EMS transported him to the nearest hospital; he’s since been released and has made a full recovery.

Thanks to the quick response, the group helped to save the man's life.

Peter, a West Babylon resident and custodian for Metro-North, attributes his life-saving response to his years volunteering with the fire brigade. He is also a volunteer firefighter and EMT.

He began volunteering after the terrorist attacks 9/11. He wanted to help in some way, so he volunteered to help with the clean-up. He was then inspired to be able to do more in the future as a first responder, so he signed up to volunteer as a firefighter shortly after.

Since then, Peter had to respond to several life-threatening emergencies, which is what helped him to stay calm in such a high-pressured situation.

"You have to do what you've been taught and try to stay calm in any kind of situation," he said. "You have to be confident and just use whatever you learned in school put that to practice."

Now that the man made a full recovery, Peter says he was happy to help the man who collapsed on the train.

"You approach every emergency scene with confidence, ready to help and with good thoughts for the person’s recovery," he said.

Last week, Peter and his colleagues were all honored by the President of the railroad for their life-saving efforts.

Pictured from left to right: MTA Police Chief Owen Monaghan, Metro-North Railroad Committee Chair Susan Metzger, Jason Tiller, Delra Dangleben, Scott Zucker, Yvonne Hyatt, Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi, John Hagan, Sohail Peter and Laurence Jacobs.

Photo courtesy of the MTA