Dr. Oz has ‘goosebumps’ after saving a man’s life at Newark Airport, saying it’s a ‘true miracle’ the man who turned the ‘color of an eggplant’ survived after needing CPR and a defibrillator to be revived
- Dr. Oz reportedly saved the life of a man after he collapsed at the Newark, New Jersey airport on Monday
- The television host began giving him CPR before using a defibrillator after a man fell to the ground at baggage claim
- Oz was at the right place at the right time as the man ‘flatlined’ while the doctor ‘shocked him back to life as a huge crowd watched’ from the terminal
- ‘In this case, like the movies, his heart started,’ Dr. Oz said in a GMA interview
- ‘It is a true miracle with the odds heavily against him,’ Dr. Oz added later
Two days after saving the life of a man after he collapsed at the Newark, New Jersey airport on Monday evening, Dr. Oz opened up to Good Morning America about his heroic act.
Oz — whose full name is Mehmet Cengiz Öz —was at the right place at the right time as he had just flown in and was retrieving baggage from the luggage carousel when his daughter alerted him to the man in distress, who when reached had a pool of blood under his head.
‘I couldn’t get a pulse, which is the first thing you check for,’ Dr. Oz said to Robin Roberts on GMA. ‘He wasn’t responsive.
‘I had to roll him onto his back and recognized that he was purple, I mean the color of an eggplant, and that’s a bad combination.’
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The background of the image shows CPR being administered to the man at the airport
Helping hands: Dr. Oz saved the life of a man after he collapsed at the Newark, New Jersey airport on Monday evening; seen in February 2020
‘And there’s that soul-sapping moment when you realize you’re losing a life. So I started doing CPR, which is my training.’
Dr. Oz described the harrowing incident in cinematic fashion.
Various officials at the airport came to Dr. Oz’s aid almost immediately as he was administering CPR.
‘You’ve seen those movies where the patient gets shocked and they jerk off the ground – that’s exactly what happened. Unfortunately, usually the heart doesn’t start again.
‘In this case, like the movies, his heart started. You get goosebumps just seeing this happen.’
‘It is a true miracle with the odds heavily against him,’ Dr. Oz added.
In a statement to DailyMail.com on Tuesday, Dr. Oz confirmed that the man had collapsed near him and his family at the airport.
‘I performed CPR with the help of a Newark Port Authority police officer and cleared the man’s airway.
‘Thankfully, Newark Airport had a defibrillator nearby that we were able to use to save his life. As a physician and a human being, it’s our responsibility to jump in when there’s a medical emergency.’
He added: ‘Another critical reminder of how important it is to take the time to learn how to do CPR and use a defibrillator. You could save a life.’
Dr. Oz told Good Morning America about the measures he took to save the man’s life
He also praised the responding officers, including Officer Jeffrey Croissant
On GMA, Dr. Oz also praised the airport police officers who ‘stepped up’ to help, despite not having any direct experience handling these situations int he past.
‘You really can’t get better help than that,’ Officer Jeffrey Croissant said to ABC News, upon discovering it was Dr. Oz underneath the a face mask helping out.
One Twitter user witnessed the events at the airport and tweeted a photo along with the caption: ‘Holy sh** that was dr oz on my flight?!? dude his daughter yelled out dad!!! and he ran into action
Right place at the right time:
The man was taken to a local New Jersey-area hospital and is doing well, Oz said on GMA.
‘He’s doing very well,’ Dr. Oz said about the man, whose wife he has kept in touch with.
‘He’s in the ICU but leaving today to go to a hospital closer to his home. He’s awake and alert, neurologically intact.’
One Twitter user witnessed the events at the airport and tweeted a photo along with the caption: ‘Holy sh** that was dr oz on my flight?!? dude his daughter yelled out dad!!! and he ran into action.
‘mad props and respect @DrOz and the Port Authority police at Newark Airport.
The scene: A Port Authority police officer reportedly helped Dr. Oz continue CPR and cleared the man’s airway (pictured: Newark airport, stock photo)