"I saw the second life. ... I was gone. I was really gone," Mark Lutz says of nearly choking to death in a restaurant.
As a member of the local emergency squad, Mark Lutz has saved lives before.
Wednesday night, a stranger returned the favor.
Phillipsburg Town Councilman Mark Lutz (Courtesy photo)While dining with his wife at Warrenside Tavern in Greenwich Township, the Phillipsburg councilman said he choked on rice and lost consciousness in the crowded restaurant.
"My wife said I went out, my eyes rolled back in my head," a grateful Lutz said Thursday. "This guy I don't even know gave me the Heimlich maneuver and saved my life.
"I saw the second life," said Lutz, 65. "I was gone. I was really gone. I saw the other side. And somebody came to me and said you're not gonna die. And just like that, I came back."
Lutz said he came to as a man gave him chest compressions. The man's name was Ron and he was at a table nearby with coworkers -- Lutz believes they were from a Bloomsbury-area welding company.
"I thanked him," the councilman said. "I paid for his dinner. I thanked him highly. I don't even know the man but thank God he was there."
If he can find Ron's workplace, Lutz said he wants to thank him again with a gift certificate to Warrenside.
Lutz has been part of the Phillipsburg Emergency Squad since 1971, though his current status is as an honorary inactive member. He said he's performed the Heimlich on others, but never had to be rescued himself.
The experience kept him awake that night.
"I have a second chance in life," he said.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.