As Paterson Firefighter John Molina coached his daughter’s softball team Saturday at an athletic field in the city, he heard a woman gasp for air and then drop to the ground.
Molina and retired Paterson Police Lt. Washington Griffin, who was in the bleachers, ran to the woman’s side.
“She had no pulse, her lips and tongue were turning blue and she was in grave danger,” City Police Director Jerry Speziale said Wednesday.
The 50-year-old woman had “a medical history” and had suffered an apparent cardiac episode, Speziale said.
“We were very close to losing her,” he said.
Believing they had only minutes to spare, the firefighter and police officer began CPR and worked to save the woman’s life.