Nine-Year-Old Saves Classmate Using a Skill He Learned on YouTube [WATCH]

A nine-year-old North Carolina boy is earning well-deserved praise after heroically saving his classmate from choking—all thanks to a skill he picked up on YouTube, as reported by The New York Post.

The dramatic rescue, caught on school surveillance footage, showcases a young student stepping up when it mattered most.

“We became friends when we first met.” -Jayceon Branch 😭😭😭

This kid just nonchalantly does a kid version of the Heimlich Maneuver that he learned from watching YouTube and indeed saved his choking friend @JHudShowhttps://t.co/KqwRgLLJ54

— Sunglasses x Sneakers 🍹🕶️👟👟 (@SceneByAshlix) March 11, 2025

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Jayceon Branch, a second-grader at Raleigh Oak Charter Elementary, was in the middle of a basketball game on March 3 when his seven-year-old friend, Donye Moore, suddenly started choking on a granola bar.

As the younger boy struggled for air, Branch wasted no time and immediately sprang into action, performing the Heimlich maneuver with precision. In just two quick compressions, Moore was able to breathe again, avoiding what could have been a tragic outcome.

“We were playing basketball, and he ate a granola bar, and we started playing longer until he started choking. I didn’t know he was actually, actually choking, so I just did my thing, which was a Heimlich. I learned it from watching YouTube.”

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That’s right—this nine-year-old learned a lifesaving technique not from a school safety lesson or a government PSA, but from good old-fashioned self-motivated learning on the internet. Perhaps that’s something today’s overly bureaucratic school systems should take note of.

Branch had been inspired to learn the Heimlich maneuver after previously witnessing a teacher use it to save another student. When the moment came, he didn’t freeze or wait for an adult to intervene—he took charge and saved his friend’s life.

Eric Johnson, executive director of the school, praised Branch’s bravery and initiative.

“He was a hero; he just saved a kid’s life. We teach our kids to take care of each other, so this is really just a prime example of that. Jayceon just jumped into action so quickly. We’re really proud of him.”

Meanwhile, Moore’s mother, Aja, admitted she didn’t initially grasp the gravity of what had happened until she saw the footage. “At first, I wasn’t understanding that he had to be given the Heimlich maneuver or anything like that,” she told WRAL.

“It was surprising. I’m just thankful his friend was able to demonstrate that on him.”

AMAZING VIDEO: A 9-year-old hero at Raleigh Oak Charter School was caught on cam giving his choking friend the Heimlich maneuver 💖https://t.co/QXPDW2X9i5@WRAL pic.twitter.com/vomvMKsjMo

— Martin Treptow 🕎 (@treptow_martin) March 11, 2025

The school celebrated the young hero with a well-deserved “clap out,” where students, teachers, and parents lined the hallways to cheer him on as he walked alongside his grateful friend. The heartwarming moment solidified Branch’s place as a local legend among his peers.

In an era where kids are often coddled and overprotected, it’s refreshing to see a young boy take responsibility, act decisively, and prove that sometimes, real-life skills learned outside of the classroom make all the difference.