A 12-year-old boy died after choking at a Yonkers middle school, and officials are now investigating whether the tragedy may have been connected to a social media challenge.
The sixth-grade student suffered a medical emergency Wednesday morning inside Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School, according to Yonkers school officials.
The boy became unresponsive around 11:40 a.m. First responders tried to save him, but he was later pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
“As police investigate the nature of the medical emergency, we remain focused on caring for his classmates, teachers and staff who are in terrible pain,” Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. said in a statement.
Police are reportedly looking into whether the choking death may have been tied to the “One Bite” TikTok challenge, according to News 12. The challenge involves trying to eat as much food as possible in one bite.
Authorities are investigating whether the student may have been eating a donut when he choked, the outlet reported.
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said investigators are looking into every possibility.
“Anything about a TikTok challenge, anything about witness statements, the events leading up to this we’re going to investigate and we’re going to continue with the investigation from beginning to end,” Sapienza said at a news conference Thursday.
Soler said the incident did not happen in the cafeteria. Instead, it unfolded in a fourth-floor hallway, where staff immediately rushed to help and tried to dislodge the food from the boy’s throat.
“This young man was a bright light in the building,” Soler said. “Everybody loved him, everybody knew him. He was energy, he was joy.”
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said the entire community is mourning the child’s death.
“Today’s tragic loss is heartbreaking,” Spano said in a statement. “The death of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare, and our entire Yonkers community is grieving alongside this student’s family, classmates, teachers, and loved ones.”
The student’s name has not been publicly released, and the investigation remains ongoing.
