A group of Boy Scouts heading home from an adventure camp played a crucial role in saving a man’s life when he went into cardiac arrest on their plane.
The scouts were on a four-hour flight from New Mexico to New York’s LaGuardia Airport when a flight attendant announced a medical emergency over the PA system, asking if there were any doctors on board, ABC News reported. Three doctors and a nurse responded to the call and began performing CPR on the passenger.
Evan Gilder, the scouts’ leader, recognized the challenge ahead. CPR can be exhausting, especially over an extended period, and they had over 40 minutes until the plane could make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh. “You can do [CPR] for a few minutes and you really tire out,” Gilder told ABC News.
Gilder quickly called his boys into action. Sixteen-year-old Eagle Scout Ariel Yaron recalled Gilder’s urgent command: “He’s like, ‘Boys, everyone who knows CPR training, go! Go! Go!'” Seventeen-year-old Moshe Grimaldi and other scouts immediately stepped up to form a rotation, ensuring continuous chest compressions.
The Boy Scouts, along with the medical professionals, performed CPR on the unidentified man for over 40 minutes. As the flight prepared for landing, a flight attendant instructed everyone to take their seats, but one of the doctors calmly stated, “If we do that this patient will die for sure.” Thanks to their collective efforts, the doctors detected a pulse just before the plane landed.
“To see someone go through this — you or someone you love — suddenly your whole life is in the hands of a couple of Boy Scouts,” Yaron reflected.
The group was returning from an outdoor adventure camp in Cimarron, New Mexico, where they had met with other Jewish Boy Scout groups from the New York area. Yaron emphasized the significance of their actions: “It is one of the most important, most paramount commandments in Judaism to save a life,” he told ABC News. “It is doing what you’re supposed to as a Jew and a Boy Scout and just as an upstanding citizen. I am honored.”
Gilder and the scouts exemplified the spirit of readiness and service that Boy Scouts are known for, turning a potential tragedy into a life-saving mission. Despite the stress and urgency of the situation, their quick thinking and training made a profound impact.
PEOPLE reached out to Southwest for comment but did not immediately receive a reply. The actions of these Boy Scouts on that flight highlight the importance of CPR training and the power of community in emergencies.