'You feel like a hero': McDonald's worker saves choking customer

A Minnesota 15-year-old is being hailed a hero after rushing to the aid of one of her customers at McDonald’s.

The Saturday shift started out pretty standard.

“Yeah, ya know, the standard in and out rush, lunch rush, people like…the line was completely packed,” said Sydney Raley.

Raley has worked at McDonald’s in Eden Prairie, Minnesota since summer, taking on a number of roles.

“Sometimes I’ll actually be taking people’s orders, sometimes I’m mixing drinks, sometimes I’m handing food out the window,” the teen said.

Sometimes she’s also saving lives.

“I noticed that she was coughing profusely,” Raley said. “I could tell, oh crap, she’s choking.”

Then the fast-food worker thought fast.

“I jumped out the window of the drive-through and I got her out of the car and I told her daughter to call 911,” Raley recalled.

She called in a bystander to help and together they successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver. Its training Raley had four years ago, but one she was able to expertly recall.

“She remembered all of the training,” Raley’s mom said.

“I always tell her she has a gift, because she’s autistic. And she can remember anything — do anything. It’s crazy,” her dad added.

The teen not only saved a life, but she also impressed her parents.

“We are really proud of her,” her mother said.

The local police even gave a nod to the teen’s life-saving actions.

“We could use more of her in this world,” they said.

“They gave me a hundred dollars,” Raley said. “It’s insane.”

But better than the monetary reward is what Raley learned about herself.

“I feel as though, like, I’m actually capable of contributing to society and actually like capable of making a difference,” she said. “You feel like a hero.”