Two Towamencin police officers honored for saving a man’s life

Towamencin Police Chief Tim Troxel presents Lifesaver awards to Officer Christopher McAroy (center) and Detective Christopher Bluem during the Township Board of Supervisors meeting on June 26, 2024.

Two of Towamencin’s finest received a top award earlier this year for rescuing a resident.

Police Detective Christopher Bluem and Officer Christopher McAroy were honored in late June for their response to a medical emergency call.

“On March 17, our officers were dispatched to Kimberly Way for a medical emergency,” said Police Chief Tim Troxel.

“When we get calls like this, we never know what to expect. And we usually get there before the ambulance,” he said.

During that operation, officers responded to a call at a home where a resident had been outside doing yard work, the police chief told the board on June 26. He was later found to have dangerously low potassium levels, which caused him medical complaints when he returned inside.

Towamencin Police Chief Tim Troxel presents Lifesaver awards to Officer Christopher McAroy (center) and Detective Christopher Bluem during the Township Board of Supervisors meeting on June 26, 2024.
Screenshot/Vimeo

“He came in and fell to the ground. Fortunately, in front of his wife, he saw that he was having a seizure in the kitchen and on the way down he hit his head and suffered a minor injury,” Troxel said.

The man’s wife immediately called 911, and when officers arrived, the man lost consciousness and eventually stopped breathing. She began CPR, and officers quickly took over when they arrived. “In the first five to 10 minutes of an incident like this, it’s extremely important to keep blood flowing,” the chief said.

Towamencin Police Chief Tim Troxel presents Officer Christopher McAroy with a Lifesaver Award during the Town Board of Supervisors meeting on June 26, 2024.
Screenshot/Vimeo

“Our officers immediately began CPR and tried again with an automated external defibrillator from their car. It basically works like this: ‘Zap, sure,’ except the defibrillator does everything for us: We put the pads on and it checks the heart rhythm,” Troxel said.

The two officers attempted to resuscitate the victim. At this point, an ambulance arrived and the officers assisted in loading the resident for transport to Grandview Hospital for further treatment.

“By the time he was loaded into the ambulance, he had regained spontaneous breathing and his pulse. Thanks to the officers’ quick intervention, he is undoubtedly alive and well and still with us: and his birthday is coming up soon,” Troxel said in July.

“I love giving out awards like this because these guys do such great things every day,” he said.

Amid applause from the supervisors and a room full of family and friends, the boss then presented the two with official awards for saving lives, and the chairman of the supervisors, Chuck Wilson, thanked the two on behalf of the board.

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