- March 6, 2026
At the end of December, former Ormond Beach City Commissioner Susan Persis was having dinner with her husband and a few friends at Alexander's. While eating an appetizer, a piece of meat got lodged in her throat.
She couldn't breathe. Her attempts to cough were not working. As she stood up, Flagler County Sheriff's Office Deputy Joe Oliva Jr., who was off-duty, recognized the signs that she was choking.
"They always say we're never really off duty," Oliva said. "I don't know who else was in the restaurant at that time ... Not saying that I was in the right place at the right time, but if nobody else knew how to do it, you can't go that long without breathing."
So he rushed over and began performing the Heimlich maneuver, and Persis was able to dislodge the food in her throat. She couldn't believe what just happened — or almost had happened.
"If he hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened," she said. "I don't know if anybody else was trained to perform that procedure or help somebody. It was just so frightening."
That night, she was in shock. But as time went on, she wanted to make sure Oliva was recognized for his quick action that night.
"It was just a life saving event for me, and so I felt like the best way for me to thank him is just let people be aware of what he did, and he needs to be congratulated and thanked," Persis said. "I just don't want it to happen to somebody else."
Oliva is a regular at Alexander's, as his father runs the restaurant and his sister works as a hostess. Because of this, he gets to know some of the frequent customers, which include the Persises.
On Valentine's Day, Sheriff Rick Staly came out to the restaurant for dinner too. Oliva said the sheriff asked him why he hadn't let the FCSO know of how he had helped Persis.
Oliva said it's because anybody that wears a badge would do the same.
"It's honor to save somebody, but we don't do it for that," Oliva said.
He was put in to receive an FCSO life saving award later this year. It will be his second; in 2023, he was recognized with the award after helping a man who was trying to save his boat from a vehicle fire. Oliva moved him to safety when he passed out from smoke inhalation.
According to the National Safety Council, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death. In 2022, over 5,500 people in the U.S. died from choking.
Persis said she's grateful that Oliva knew what to do.
"After he performed the Heimlich maneuver on me, he was just very humble ... but for me, it was a big deal," she said.
The second Oliva announced he was a cop and started helping, her husband, Carl Persis, felt relief.
"We're just so grateful that Deputy Oliva was there at the right spot, at the right time for us," he said.
