The harrowing scene unfolded at Central High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin on Wednesday.
Surveillance footage shows freshman Ian Brown leaping into action when his classmate Will Olson began to choke across the table. While other students thought Olson was joking around, Brown said he noticed a color change in Olson's neck and leaped into action.
Brown administered the Heimlich maneuver until the food stuck in Olson's throat became dislodged, and subsequently escorted Olson to the nurse's office.
According to the La Crosse Police Department, Brown had been trained as part of the agency's Police Explorer program, which introduces young adults interested in a career in law enforcement to the basics of policing, including first aid training.
In a news release, the school's nurse credited the training Brown had received through the Police Explorer training with averting a "very dangerous situation."
Report a typo to the ABC13 digital staff