Footage is going viral on social media showing a Republican governor rushing to the rescue to save a man from choking during an eating contest in New Hampshire on Sunday.
The 35th annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival’s final day included an eating contest — where contestants had 10 minutes to eat as many lobster rolls as possible. A lobster roll is a hot dog bun stuffed with buttery lobster, celery, and mayonnaise.
Contestant Christian Moreno’s personal goal in the contest was to eat “at least 20” lobster rolls, according to comments made prior to the contest. However, after only eating a few lobster rolls, Moreno began choking.
After witnessing Moreno pounding on his chest and signaling for help, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) rushed in — quickly positioning himself behind the choking man, placing his fist around his gut, and administering the Heimlich maneuver.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu saves choking competitor at lobster roll eating contest: video https://t.co/ySZX3tuI50 pic.twitter.com/Va0BfoLDfv
— New York Post (@nypost) September 9, 2024
“The gentleman at the far end, who I was kind of watching — I glanced over, I could tell very quickly, he took, took a pause — he was having trouble getting something down,” Sununu told WMUR-TV, adding: “I started saying, ‘He’s choking, he’s choking,’ and I could tell people weren’t responding. So I just moved forward and immediately started to kind of give him the Heimlich.”
“It was crazy because it wasn’t so much the jumping in and doing it — I mean, that was wild in itself — but there was so much commotion,” he continued.
Sununu later marveled at Moreno’s dedication to the contest, as he ultimately returned to the eating contest, eating a total of nine lobster rolls, though he did not end up winning the contest.
“He went right back to the contest, which I couldn’t believe. He ate another seven lobster rolls after that,” Sununu told the outlet. “Right down the gullet.”
Meanwhile, Moreno was shocked when he learned that the man who saved him was actually the governor — telling WMUR-TV that he believed it was a joke when a friend told him who saved him.
“My counter came up to me and, like, made a joke, and was like, ‘Oh, like, I bet nobody else can say that they’ve gotten the Heimlich from the governor before,’” he said. “And I looked at him, was just like, that was, that was the governor?”
Moreno has vowed to return to the contest next year, telling the outlet: “I will be there for my redemption, 100%.”
