Teacher's aide saves 7-year-old choking at New Jersey school

CLIFFSIDE PARK, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Kayla Lopez, 7, was eating lunch in her New Jersey classroom when she started choking.

"I was eating some steak. I was sitting down, then my steak kind of got stuck," said Kayla

Thankfully, teacher's aide Jessica Foster came from her classroom and used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge a piece of steak stuck in Kayla's windpipe.

The family is feeling a sign of relief and is thankful that the aide stepped up when their daughter was struggling to breathe.

"She just put all fear aside - no hesitation. She did what she did and she saved my kid's life," said Kayla's mother Natasha Madrid.

"I'm thankful that she jumped into that adrenaline mode. I'm gonna do what I gotta do and no more consequences, whatever the situation is, we're gonna get this done," said her dad, John Lopez.

Kayla's dad is a police officer in the nearby Guttenberg Police Department and he and his wife say Jessica is an angel.

After a piece of steak popped out of Kayla's mouth, emergency help arrived. Jessica stayed with her until her dad arrived.