Local firefighters credited with saving life of fan who went into cardiac arrest at Gillette Stadium

FOXBORO, Mass. — A pair of local firefighters jumped into action when a fan attending the New England Patriots-Miami Dolphins game at Gillette Stadium went into cardiac arrest on Sunday night.

Mark McCullough of the Needham Fire Department and Anthony Colella of the Johnston, Rhode Island, Fire Department were hailed heroes after they saw a commotion and scrambled to help the fan.

“My parents are at the Patriots game with their friends and someone in their section just had a heart attack and my dad’s friend (also a firefighter) started giving him CPR and saved his life,” NFL Network reporter Bridget Condon said in a tweet.

Condon also shared a photo of McCullough and Colella, with a caption that read, “These are the two heroes from tonight who gave CPR to a fan who went into cardiac arrest”

Condon’s tweets generated thousands of likes and hundreds of shares.

“Forget the football. This is the best thing I’ve heard all day,” Condon added. “Wow.”

The man in distress had food caught in his throat, according to Needham Firefighters - Local 1706.

“Firefighters were able to remove the food and began CPR after checking the fan’s airway and pulse,” Local 1706 said in a Facebook post. “The fan regained consciousness and Mark and Anthony stayed by their side until EMS arrived on the scene.”

There was no word on the man’s condition as of Monday morning.

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