Middle Island rescuers help choking man

Middle Island firefighters and a Suffolk police officer may have saved a choking man's life Wednesday, the police said.

The 45-year-old man, a resident of Middle Island Intermediate Care Facility group home for the developmentally and emotionally challenged, was choking on food when Officer Michael Meehan responded to a 6:52 p.m. 911 call.

Workers there had attempted the Heimlich maneuver. Meehan took over and dislodged a piece of the food, letting the man breathe. He was still struggling, though, when Middle Island firefighters arrived to remove the rest of the food and administer oxygen, police said.

He was taken to St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, where he was in critical condition Wednesday night, police said.