A 12-year-old boy from Colorado has died after participating in the latest viral TikTok trend, the “Blackout Challenge.”
Joshua Haileyesus, of Aurora, died on Saturday, April 10, after being hospitalized for 19 days on life support. His family says he participated in the “Blackout Challenge,” a social media trend in which users are encouraged to choke themselves until they pass out. Joshua saw the viral trend, which has been around for several decades, and tried it out for himself.
His twin brother found him unconscious and not breathing on Mar. 22.
After being rushed to the hospital, doctors intubated the young boy and informed his parents that his chances of survival were “extremely unlikely.”
“I would never imagine my son would do such a thing,” Joshua’s father, Haileyesus Zeryihun, told CBS Denver. “I’m paying the price right now, I’m living the life, and I hate for other parents to go through this.”
