Three judicial marshals are being recognized for saving a man's life this week.
"It feels pretty good. It really does," Lt. Judicial Marshal Philip Judd said.
The incident happened Monday afternoon at the New Britain Superior Courthouse. A spokesperson for the court said a man in his 50s went into cardiac arrest.
"I was in the courtroom. I actually witnessed him kind of stumble backwards, catch himself, and fall down," Judicial Marshal Richard Difedrico said.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Difedrico said it appeared the man was having a seizure. He and his partners rushed in, cleared the courtroom and started providing medical care.
Difedrico said the man was doing OK for a moment. When they evaluated him a second time, things quickly changed.
"That's when his pulse was weak...and there was no pulse at all," Difedrico said.
A third judicial marshal came to the man's rescue. It was Judicial Marshal Brandon Johndro who performed CPR.
"I immediately responded with chest compressions. My partner at the time started bagging him with a BVM, and my lieutenant [Judd] responded with an AED," said Johndro said.
Judd administered two shocks with the AED. In his more than 17-year career as a judicial marshal, he said that was his first time responding to a medical emergency like that inside the courthouse.
But he and his partners say they felt prepared. They train for these situations, and they say they were just doing their jobs Monday.
"This is why we practice. This is why we drill," Judd said.
The man was eventually taken to the hospital and is expected to be OK.
A spokesperson for the court told NBC Connecticut the man is recovering in the ICU. NBC Connecticut tried to get in touch with him, but officials couldn't release his name due to HIPAA concerns.
After this incident, Judd encourages everyone to learn CPR as it could save a life.
