New Jersey police praise bystander who helped free officer from chokehold during mall struggle

Police in New Jersey praised a bystander who intervened in a struggle between an officer and a disorderly patron inside a mall last week.

The bystander intervened as the patron allegedly held the officer in a "Guillotine" chokehold, preventing blood and oxygen from reaching the brain, the Deptford Township Police Department said in a news release. With the unidentified bystander's help, the officer, Anthony Gatto, was able to break free from the chokehold and restrain the patron, who police identified as Michael Carberry, a 43-year-old from Mickelton, New Jersey.

Gatto suffered minor injuries in the struggle, police said. He was treated by emergency medical services personnel in Gloucester County after the incident on Friday evening.