Boy chokes to death at NY school in possible social media challenge – NBC New York

A 12-year-old boy choked to death while at school in Yonkers, and officials are looking into whether it was possibly connected to a social media challenge that has gone viral.

Flowers and candles were gently placed in front of the Sonia Sotomayor Community School Thursday evening by family members paying tribute to young Jacob Medina.

School officials said Jacob was on his way to his next class when he started showing signs of distress. The officials were not entirely sure what he was choking on, but it might have been a doughnut.

“He was actually with an adult when he started to exhibit some of these signs of choking. So immediately there was actually somebody with him and within seconds, probably less than 10 seconds, additional adults came to try to administer emergency life saving procedures on the young man,” said Superintendent of Yonkers Public Schools Anibal Soler Jr.

The superintendent said they tried the Heimlich maneuver, slapping his back, and eventually CPR. Nothing worked to dislodge what was in his throat, and Jacob died.

Why he started choking was not immediately clear, though police were investigating whether Jacob was trying to complete a recent social media challenge.

“Anything about a TikTok challenge, anything about witness statements, we are going to investigate,” said Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza.

Meanwhile, those who live in the community were left to grapple with the shocking news, as parents wondered if the boy was a victim of another social media trend.

“It hits close to home. Having an 11-year-old son, having him go to school every day, wondering — just making sure that he’s safe,” said Emily Sanchez.

Jacob’s distraught family told NBC New York he was a kind and loving boy who was caring and sweet to his younger cousins. They are still waiting for answers about what actually happened.

The school is not certain that Jacob was following the social media challenge, but it is an avenue they are exploring. They are working to assure other parents that it is safe for their children to attend the school.