These cops are all heart.
Five heroic officers came to the rescue of an elderly man who suffered a cardiac arrest as he celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary in Times Square this week.
An 83-year-old and his wife — visiting from Massachusetts — were on West 45th Street near Eighth Avenue with 20 relatives around 7:40 p.m. Friday when the man suddenly fell ill, police said.
Someone flagged down Officer Robert Depe, who was nearby for an unrelated issue.
“The first thing I did, I checked the pulse,” Depe said. “I remembered what they taught me in the academy and performed CPR.”
Another officer, Patrick Riordan, arrived and requested an AED defibrillator. Officer Michael Tommasino brought the device within three minutes — and used it to administer one shock to the man, who was not immediately identified, as Officer Christopher Mallette took over chest compressions.
The man quickly responded and was “awake and somewhat alert,” Mallette said.
He was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, where he remained Saturday evening but was “walking and talking,” said the man’s daughter, Christine Yoken.
Yoken warmly embraced each of the officers and thanked them for saving her dad.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” she said through tears. “They went above and beyond the call of duty. My father means everything to us. They didn’t just save him. They saved my whole family.”
“The celebration of the anniversary is not cancelled,” she added, “just postponed because my dad is still here.”
Officers Michael Gallagher and Louis Lara-Faavedva were also involved in the rescue.