A family member’s heart had stopped beating, and he had no pulse.

In that moment, Nicholas Roberts of Jaffrey knew he didn’t have a lot of time to start administering CPR.

“I knew that the sooner I could start, the more chance he had of survival,” he said.

However, he also knew that he needed to stay calm.

“I knew if I panicked, all hell would break loose,” said Nicholas.

Nicholas realized he was making progress when the man started making grunting sounds.

“I knew that something was happening,” Nicholas said. “He kept making exhaling sounds.”

The EMTs arrived quickly, he estimates within seven minutes, and Nicholas was honored by the Jaffrey Fire Department for his actions.

Nicholas, who turned 16 on Thursday, is the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript’s Hometown Hero for January, nominated by his mother, Katherine Newton, who called him the “most caring, generous human on this planet.”

“He is just a super good kid,” Newton said. “He’s the first to help anybody out.”

A sophomore at Conant Middle High School, Nicholas is a member of the school’s Interact Club, which is a service club for youths age 12 to 18 sponsored by Rotary International. Nicholas’ sister Megan Newton had been a member of Interact, and he joined after being nominated.

“I saw what she did, and I thought it was a cool club,” he said.

Nicholas joined the Interact Club on its trip to the Dominican Republic last year, where they worked on projects at a school, including painting the walls. He plans to go back this year.

“I was great. I loved it,” he said. “I loved hanging out with the kids. It was an eye-opener.”

Nicholas cited the transition from the city to a place two miles down the road where the poverty was so severe that people were barely surviving.

“It’s a crazy shift,” he said.

Nicholas has also been a member of the Boy Scouts for the past 18 months to two years. He joined on the recommendation of a friend.

“I gave it a try, and I liked it,” he said.

In particular, Nicholas said he enjoys learning survival skills and the teamwork needed for projects like the shelter the troop recently built.

“I enjoy the people in it,” he said. “I enjoy the things that we learn. It’s actually stuff I might need in my life.”

There’s already one needed skill Nicholas acquired in Boy Scouts, as that’s where he learned CPR.

Nicholas doesn’t graduate until 2027, but he has already decided he wants to join the military. His grandfather served for 27 years, and his mother served for seven.

“I want to join the military because it would be a great start for me,” he said.