Nineteen-year-old Owen Thurnau is being credited with saving a man's life after the Owatonna, Minnesota, Hy-Vee employee successfully gave the Heimlich maneuver to a choking man last month.

It happened during a store event, as customers dined on food in the store parking lot. Thurnau says he heard a woman yelling for help and saw quickly that her dad was choking.

"As soon as the audio cue went off, I ran immediately straight towards the man and started performing the Heimlich," Thurnau said. "It's straight instinct."

Despite never being formally trained on how to administer the Heimlich maneuver, Thurnau says he had learned enough in school to know what to do. In a matter of seconds, the food was dislodged and the man was safe.

"It was super scary — just running over — and it's like, '

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