Graham Rayman
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — Three off-duty cops worked fast Sunday to revive a man who went into cardiac arrest at a Staten Island bowling alley.
The drama began in the middle of a bowling league game about 7 p.m. at Rab’s Country Lanes on Hylan Blvd. Officers Giovanni Cucuzza, 28, John Desiderio, 34, and Joseph Glorioso, 31, saw a man stumble and then fall to the floor about three lanes away.
“I looked to my right and saw a gentleman falling to his knees,” Cucuzza said. “So I ran over with my colleagues. At first I got a slight pulse and then no pulse. We immediately began CPR.”
Cucuzza sprinted to the alley’s front desk and grabbed a defibrillator, while Desiderio did chest compressions and Glorioso kept the man’s airway open.
“I applied the pads to the gentleman. We were able to shock him once, while still continuing CPR, and we were able to get a pulse back,” Cucuzza said.
Added Glorioso, “It was about a minute and a half, but it didn’t seem like it ... It felt a lot longer.”
Desiderio said reviving the man was a special moment.
“To know that he gets to spend more time with his family, I’m very happy about that,” he said. “I’m happy we were there at that time.”
Once medics loaded the victim into an ambulance, the trio went back to their game.
“I probably bowled the best game I’ve bowled probably in my entire life. I’m sure next week I will not be that good,” said Desiderio, an 11-year veteran.
The trio got kudos Tuesday from Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison.
“It’s why we came on the job, to be the best we can be in helping people,” Harrison said.