ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – A dramatic security video inside a local restaurant shows a server jumping into action to save a man from choking at Buffington's Bar and Grill in Ormond Beach.
It was the moment Dan Roberts went from local server to local hero.
"I was actually serving this table and just managed to look over in the corner of my eye," said Roberts. "You just kind of go for it."
But Roberts never thought his quick thinking on Nov. 5 would get him the kind of attention he has now.
The owner posted the security video on the restaurant's Facebook page. In a day, word spread, and 10,000 views later, the humble waiter became a Facebook hit.
He'd rather shrug off the fame, but women love it.
"I would love to be with somebody that would jump in and protect me and help me," said Eileen Wynne. "He was fabulous and he was so humble and he did his job and he was so great."
"I think I was maybe the only one big enough to throw him around," said Roberts. "I would hope somebody would do that for me too in that scenario."
Roberts said lifeguard training a few years ago finally came in handy, and it's a good thing. A worried friend is seen on the video rubbing the choking man's back, but most people nearby never even realized anything was wrong. After his first bite, the first-time diner was choking for about a minute before Roberts ran to the rescue.
Roberts said it was a close call -- the man was turning blue and went unconscious at one point.
"He sat up. We got him a glass of water and he finished his sandwich. The food's that good I guess," laughed Roberts.