by A 12-year-old boy has died after collapsing during a non-contact football practice in New Jersey.
Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia went unresponsive on Feb. 10 during an exercise at KIPP Rise Academy in Newark, News 12 New Jersey reported. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
His mother, Raven Brown, said she was first told that Elijah had passed out by her 10-year-old son, who was also at training. He told her that school officials had splashed water on Elijah’s face in an attempt to regain consciousness, but failed to perform CPR.
Recounting the conversation with his surviving son, Brown told News 12: “I (asked): ‘What are they doing? What is someone doing? And he said, ‘They are pouring water over him, and they are fanning him.’ And that’s when I got my kids together and said, ‘I’m on my way.’”
“He was so happy to be there. He didn’t know it was going to be his last day,” Brown said of Elijah.
Elijah, a sixth grader, played for the Essex County Predators league.
“Our hearts are broken and our condolences to the family of our very own Elijah E2 Brown,” the league said in a statement on Instagram. “We love you.”
Mrs. Brown said his son wasn’t hit during the exercise and that he didn’t have any health issues.
She is now demanding to know why CPR was not performed on Elijah.
The ambulance that transported him to the hospital took 30 to 40 minutes to reach the school, CBS reported.
Elijah, a sixth grader, played for the Essex County Predators league
(CBS/Screenshot)
A balloon launch was held on Saturday in honor of the 12-year-old boy.
The cause of his death has not been disclosed, according to News12.
Anti-vaccine and conspiracy theorists have falsely argued that the recent sudden deaths stem from vaccination. According to research by the Mayo Clinic and the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association, sudden cardiac death has been the leading cause of death among high school athletes for years — but it hasn’t increased after Covid.
Some states require schools to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to respond to these events. In New Jersey, Janet’s Law requires all schools to have an AED available in an unlocked location on school property.
The law also requires that at least five trainers or staff have CPR training.
