A sandwich shop employee is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of a customer.

The customer was inside of PrimoHoagies in Rockaway when she started to choke. This is when the employee stepped in.

“She came running up and at first I’m like, ‘Are you OK?’ and she couldn’t speak,” says worker Danielle Buccelli. “No words came out. So, I’m like, ‘Are you choking?’”

Surveillance video from inside the store shows the moment Buccelli jumped into action and gave the customer the Heimlich maneuver.

“She started crying. She was like, ‘Thank you so much. I really appreciate you. You saved my life.’ She kept repeating that over and over again. Before she left, we made her sit here with us for like a half hour just to make sure she was OK,” Buccelli says.

Buccelli is no stranger to emergency situations. She is a member of the Randolph Fire Department.

“I joined the fire department when I was 16. So every two years we have to re-cert for CPR,” she says.

The owner of the PrimoHoagies says more of the staff should get trained in CPR.

“With new stores opening and new staff members, we’re thinking about training them and getting them CPR certified just in case something like this happens again,” Buccelli says.

Buccelli was given a $1,000 bonus from the sandwich shop as a thank you for a job well done.