Boy Dies After Choking On Doughnut In US School, TikTok Challenge Suspected

A 12-year-old student from a middle school in New York's Yonkers suburb died after choking during a medical emergency that authorities are investigating.

The incident happened on Wednesday morning at Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School. As per a report by CBS News, the sixth-grade student, named Jacob Medina, became unresponsive at 11:39 am while inside the school building.

Emergency responders rushed to help the boy and tried to revive him before he was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital. He was later pronounced dead.

Officials are now looking into whether the tragedy may have been linked to a social media trend. News 12 reported that investigators are examining a possible connection to the "One Bite" TikTok challenge, which involves attempting to eat a large amount of food in a single bite.

Authorities believe the student may have been eating a doughnut at the time of the incident, according to the outlet.

Speaking about the ongoing probe, Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said, “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,” as quoted by The New York Post.

School officials said the incident did not happen inside the cafeteria. Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. said the emergency unfolded in a fourth-floor hallway, where staff members quickly stepped in and tried to remove the food that was blocking the student's airway.

“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,” Soler Jr. said in a statement.

Remembering the student, the superintendent added, “This young man was a bright light in the building. Everybody loved him, everybody knew him. He was energy, he was joy.”

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano also reacted to the incident, saying, “Today's tragic loss is heartbreaking. 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.”