Two strangers on board a plane bound for Phoenix saved the life of a baby whose health emergency forced the pilot to ground the aircraft.
According to a report by AZ Family, the child stopped breathing while the plane was midair. Two people on board flight 678 from Tampa suddenly leapt into action, after hearing the baby's grandmother cry out in alarm.
Andy Russick, who was on board the plane at the time, recounted the experience to 3TV.
"There was a man in back who must have been a combat paramedic or something, who rescued the baby," Russick told the news outlet. "I was sitting next to a doctor who jumped over me...and helped the guy. It was amazing. It was awesome. It restores your faith in humanity."
The baby is reportedly in fine health, according to AZ Family.
Other people on the plane said grandmother started yelling that the baby had stopped breathing and that his face had gone purple.
The two strangers then reportedly leapt into action to help the ailing child.
Russick said flight attendants also jumped in, delivering oxygen while trying to lower the baby's temperature. One of the good Samaritans also administered CPR, AZ Family reported.
"The baby started crying after a while and he...yelled something out like 'A crying baby is a breathing baby,'" Russick remembered.
Passengers on board the plane burst into cheers when they first heard the child emitting noises.
Russick told 3TV that the child seized due to a high fever, which caused him to stop breathing.
The plane landed in Phoenix nearly an hour after it was scheduled to arrive there. Passengers who missed their connecting flights in the Arizona city weren't miffed, however. They told 3TV they were just glad the child made it out alive.
US Airways hasn't released the identity of the passengers, including the grandmother, baby, or two good Samaritans, AZ Family reported.
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
