New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu may have saved the life of a man participating in a lobster eating competition Hampton Beach Seafood Festival contest by performing the Heimlich maneuver.
The 49-year-old Republican rushed to the aid of competitive eater Christian Moreno on Sunday when the choking man signalled for help, according to the Associated Press. Moreno and five other competitors were trying to devour as many lobster rolls as possible within 10 minutes.
That popular New England seafood delicacy typically includes celery and mayonnaise and is served on a long bun.
Moreno earlier stated he intended to eat 20 lobster rolls, but began choking after his second one. Sununu, seated in the crowd near the long table at the center of the competition, sprung into action and went to work on the choking man before first responders took over. Moreno recovered, then ate seven more rolls.
He reportedly had no idea who helped stop him from choking until a contestant monitor told him afterward.
“That was the governor?” Moreno marveled.
Sununu told New Hampshire outlet WMUR the choking man may have gone unnoticed because of the commotion generated by the fast-paced event.
“I started saying, ‘He’s choking, he’s choking,’ and I could tell people weren’t responding,” the fourth-term governor said. “So I just moved forward and immediately started to kind of give him the Heimlich.”
Moreno reportedly plans to participate in the competition again next year.
Sununu, who isn’t running for reelection in November, shared on social media a day earlier that his mother had died following a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
“An amazing life of accomplishments,” he wrote. “She piloted our family through every day.”
With News Wire Services
