A school resource officer at Grant High School in Fox Lake, Illinois, recently saved a student’s life after she choked while eating.

Fox Lake Police Officer Jonathan Cawley was on duty in the school’s cafeteria when he noticed from afar that the student was choking. Students and school staff initially rushed to help the girl but were unsuccessful in clearing the food, so Cawley stepped in.

After he performed the Heimlich maneuver, the blockage was cleared from the girl’s airway and she was able to breathe again. Witnesses say the act likely saved the girl’s life.

The Village of Fox Lake praised Cawley’s attention to duty and said that his actions represented “the highest traditions” of the Fox Lake Police Department. At a village board meeting on October 11, the SRO was presented with an award for his lifesaving act.

Officer Cawley isn’t the only school resource officer to save a choking student this year. In June, a Massachusetts SRO performed the Heimlich manuever to save a 12-year-old girl’s life.