Dustin Hoffman saves jogger's life after heart attack

Movie legend Dustin Hoffman saved London jogger Sam Dempster when he had a heart attack in Hyde Park.

Hoffman dialled 999 and stayed with the ailing 27-year-old until he received treatment.

Dempster told The Sun just how grateful he was: “I want to say ‘Thank you’ to Dustin Hoffman. He saved my life.”

[Related story: Woman collapses at heart attack grill]

Dempster, a lawyer, was jogging in the park on 7 May when he began to stagger before collapsing. His heart had stopped.

Luckily quick-thinking Hoffman, 74, came to the rescue. The 'Rain Man' star, who was taking a morning stroll at the time, called for an ambulance and stayed on the scene as paramedics carried out CPR.

As Dempster’s heart was kick-started by the medical team, Hoffman congratulated them by saying “Great job, guys”.

Dempster now has an electronic device fitted to zap his heart should he be struck down again. It's the same device that has helped Bolton football star Fabrice Muamba make a remarkable recovery.

“I have no memory of what happened. The paramedics told me I had been saved by Dustin Hoffman. It’s unbelievable,” said Dempster.

Hoffman has a £10m home near the park. In the 1992 movie 'Accidental Hero' he played a man who refuses to take the credit for saving the lives of passengers after a plane crash. This time, however, there is no mistaking who saved the day.