Government officials and parents in Chester are amazed at how a group of teenagers sprung into action to save their friend’s life, though the young men themselves do not see themselves as heroes.

The group was playing basketball at Chester Elementary School on March 27, when one of them, Jayden Mercado, laid down to rest, but did not get back up and went into cardiac arrest. At first, the others thought Mercado was just taking a rest, but then soon realized something was wrong, prompting Mercado’s friend, Ty’Shawn James, 14, to call 911.

In the recording, supplied by the office of Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus, James can be heard telling the 911 dispatcher the location and Mercado’s symptoms, before asking, ‘What can we do?’

The dispatcher, Stewart Matthew, instructed James how to administer chest compressions. Even as James was performing the compressions, he still relayed directions from Matthew to the other teenagers, who were helping.

During Spectrum News’ visit to the teens’ neighborhood on Tuesday, James was not looking for recognition, though he did receive it from local leaders, his mother and Mercado’s parents.

“I mean, I don’t want to be too cocky or nothing about it,” James said. “I’m just happy he’s alive. That’s all that matters to me.”

What You Need To Know

  • A group of teenagers is being credited with saving their friend’s life with their quick actions when he went into cardiac arrest on the basketball court

  • One of the teens, Ty’Shawn James, received a commendation from the county executive at last Wednesday’s Chester Town Board Meeting

  • “I mean, I don’t want to be too cocky or nothing about it,” James said. “I’m just happy he’s alive. That’s all that matters to me”

James then brought Spectrum News to Mercado’s home nearby, where Mercado is recovering from emergency heart surgery following the scare on the court.

Mercado, who has been undergoing tests to pinpoint his heart issues, praised his friends.

“I think of them as like brothers, not just friends,” he said quietly. “If they ever needed something, I’d do the same exact thing for them.”

James also visited Tuesday with others who helped, like Christopher Simeon, who flagged down first responders and guided them to the rear of the school, where James was still doing compressions on Mercado.

“When he was in the hospital, I didn’t know what to think,” Simeon said, “I was a little down, but now I see that he’s doing good. I thank God for that.”

James received a commendation at the Chester Town Board meeting last Wednesday for having such composure under pressure.

Neuhaus was buzzing over James and his friends for having “stepped up.”

“I couldn’t be more proud to be here, and I couldn’t be more proud to be in my hometown and being able to do that recognition,” Neuhaus said at a board meeting.

The event was also a reunion of sorts, as Matthew was there.

“For a child caller, that was superb,” Matthew said during an interview segment provided by the county executive’s office. “You couldn’t have asked for a better caller to be on the other end of that phone...You could hear it in his voice that he was calm enough to listen to the instructions, follow the instructions and execute it.”

James shrugged and smiled shyly when asked about the community’s reaction to his bravery. Again, he passed on the praises to Matthew and to his friends.

“If it wasn’t for him (Matthew), he probably wouldn’t be alive,” James said. “If it wasn’t for my friends’ fast reflexes, he probably wouldn’t be alive.”