Local News

Former Boston police commissioner, off-duty cop, firefighter, and restaurant partner save choking man

Quick action at the Chestnut Hill Capital Grille is credited with saving an 80-year-old diner on Easter eve.

The Capital Grille's Large windows in the bar area open out onto Boylston Street. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Photo

April 11, 2026 | 9:23 AM

1 minute to read

Local off-duty first responders, the former Boston police commissioner, and a restaurant partner joined forces recently when an elderly man began severely choking while dining at a Chestnut Hill steakhouse.

The incident happened on April 4, the night before Easter, at the Capital Grille on Boylston Street, according to a Boston Herald report. An 80-year-old man collapsed when food became lodged in his throat, prompting his family to shout for help. That’s when a Boston police officer and a Newton firefighter, both off-duty, and former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross — all of whom were dining at the time — sprang into action.

The man had “turned gray from lack of oxygen,” according to the report. Gross told the news outlet that Patrolman Stephen Borne, who works out of Brighton, rushed to the man, along with Newton Firefighter Lt. James Trudo.

The pair got the man into a recovery position and struck him in the back to help dislodge the blockage. At that point, Chris Lynch, the restaurant’s managing partner, also came to help, according to the Herald report.

Lynch swept the man’s throat and was able to clear it, then Borne checked his vitals but could not find a pulse. He started performing chest compressions while Gross administered breaths, and Trudo communicated with on-duty dispatchers.

“You just revert to your training,” Borne told the Herald, while Trudo said, “instinct takes over.”

The man was successfully resuscitated by the time Newton Fire and EMS arrived, according to the report.

Gross called the effort teamwork and said he was “just happy they had a good Easter.”

Borne credited his training at the Boston Police Academy and the Red Cross, and called the outcome “the best case scenario.”

Trudo told the outlet that he felt “very lucky that I was in the right place at the right time.”

Bill Cormier, who administers the Facebook page Friends of William Gross, shared the story in a social media post, saying, “I wouldn’t expect anything less from Boston’s Finest! Thank you to both of them for saving this gentleman.”