Family seek supermarket's 'Superman without cape'

Emily and Victor Huynh, with Jayden, are grateful for a fellow shopper's quick thinking. Photo / Supplied

A "Superman without his cape" saved a baby's life in Rangiora New World within an hour of Monday's aftershocks, says his grateful father.

Victor and Emily Huynh were with baby Jayden, 7 months, at the supermarket when the baby began having a seizure.

"Jayden was in his Mum's arms when he just started having a fit. His eyes began twitching and rolling back in his head, and then he started to turn blue. It was so terrifying; I just panicked," Mr Huynh said.

A man standing behind the family in the checkout queue grabbed Jayden and took control.

"He just lifted him up on to the counter and began performing CPR on him. Then he checked if Jayden's heart was beating and [Jayden] was fine after a minute or two.

"The man saved his life without a doubt," Mr Huynh said.

In the rush of events after the seizure, the family lost track of the man who saved their son's life.

"He just saved a life, paid for his groceries and quietly left," Mr Huynh said.

Now the Huynhs want to find the mysterious man and thank him face-to-face.

"I just want to shake his hand and thank him for saving Jayden's life. It was definitely a case of the right person being there at the right time.

"We are going to go to New World and drop off a gift for him."

Jayden was taken by ambulance to a Rangiora medical centre, as he couldn't go into Christchurch Hospital because of the aftershocks.

The doctors have given him the all-clear, and said the seizure may have been caused by a fever.