Wildwood firefighters help save elderly man in cardiac arrest at Wawa

WILDWOOD, N.J. (WPVI) -- An 80-year-old man is on the road to recovery thanks to the quick actions of firefighters in Cape May County.

Yesterday, Wildwood firefighters Gerry Vessels and Sean Stanton completed a safety inspection inside the Wawa on Rio Grande Avenue.

While there, they overheard that a man had passed out in the bathroom.

The firefighters found the man in a locked stall and determined he was in cardiac arrest. Vessels climbed over the stall wall to unlock the door so that they could perform CPR.

That's when two more firefighters, Rich Harron and Brendan Phillips, arrived with a defibrillator. After two shocks the man's pulse returned and he began breathing on his own.

The 80-year-old was conscious and taken to the hospital for further treatment.