WATCH: New Jersey State Trooper saves choking man at restaurant

ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (FOX 13) - An off-duty trooper was enjoying his day off before he ended up saving the life of another man.

On Sunday, Trooper Dennis Palaia of New Jersey State Police was eating a meal and watching football with his son at Buffalo Wild Wings in Rockaway Township. Shortly after sitting down, he noticed a man sitting at a nearby table in distress, according to authorities.

The restaurant’s surveillance video showed Palaia quickly rushing to the man who was not breathing, and realized he was choking. He immediately wrapped his arms around the man’s waist to perform the Heimlich maneuver. After four abdominal thrusts, the man’s airway was cleared and his skin returned to its natural color.

The New Jersey State Police shared the surveillance video of the heroic act on the agency’s Facebook post saying: