Photo and story by Ron Jeffers
Roy De Young, Jr. has been a volunteer firefighter in Maywood (NJ) since he was 16. Since then he has grown into a six-foot-plus big man with a big heart.
The local Department of Public Works supervisor stopped at the ShopRite in nearby Paramus to pick up a few items, on March 13. The last thing he expected was to put his first responder training to use in the supermarket. While shopping, he observed a group of customers standing in a circle around a 69-year-old man lying on the floor. Without hesitation, De Young went to assist the victim. The man was not breathing and had no pulse.
A store employee was on his knees next to the man and told De Young, “I used to be an EMT.” They began CPR, but there was no response. Another employee arrived with a defibrillator.
“We shocked him and he came back,” De Young said. “Paramus police and EMS showed up and took over from there.”
Besides getting involved in Christmas activities for children and other community events, De Young is a familiar face in the Bergen County area as the main driver of the department’s pride and joy–a 1939 Ahrens Fox piston pumper, seen above–to local firematic events.
“All I can say is I was in the right place at the right time.” He continued with a laugh, “I still had to pay for my $41 in groceries.”
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