A 12-year-old boy has died after choking at Sonia Sotomayor Community School in Yonkers, New York, on June 10, 2026, in an incident authorities are investigating for possible links to the viral TikTok challenge known as the 'Eat One Doughnut in One Bite.'
Emergency crews were called to the school campus when the student, identified by family as Jacob Medina, began showing signs of distress while walking to his next class. Officials said he may have been attempting to swallow a doughnut in one bite, though they stressed the exact circumstances remain unconfirmed and are still under investigation.
However, school administrators and law enforcement have been cautious in framing the incident, emphasising that no final determination has been made about whether a social media challenge directly caused the choking.
TikTok Challenge Led to Death
Jacob was reportedly with an adult when he began choking, before multiple staff members rushed to assist. According to NBC New York, Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Aníbal Soler Jr said emergency intervention began within seconds of the incident escalating.
'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,' Soler said.
Those efforts included the Heimlich manoeuvre, back blows and CPR. Despite the response, the obstruction could not be dislodged and the boy died at the scene, officials confirmed.
Police have not formally confirmed that the incident was linked to the TikTok challenge, but investigators say they are exploring all possibilities, including witness accounts and the growing prevalence of viral eating trends among schoolchildren. Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said, 'Anything about a TikTok challenge, anything about witness statements, we are going to investigate.'
School Response and Emergency Equipment Under Fire
In the aftermath, the school has faced online claims suggesting it may not have been properly equipped to respond. Those claims have been disputed by individuals familiar with the response effort, who said the school had emergency airway devices, referred to as LIFE VAC units, on site.
According to updated accounts circulating alongside official statements, school staff and medical personnel did everything they could in the moments after Jacob began choking. One account described the obstruction as being too deeply lodged to remove effectively, despite repeated attempts.
Officials have not independently published a full breakdown of the equipment used during the response, but they have stressed that trained staff and emergency procedures were activated immediately.
Community Grief Over TikTok Challenge
The death has shaken the Yonkers community, where parents gathered outside the school to leave flowers and candles in memory of Jacob. He has been described by family as a kind and gentle child, remembered for his closeness to younger relatives.
One local parent, speaking to reporters, said the incident had raised fears about how quickly online trends can spill into real-world behaviour among children. Others have echoed concerns about whether schools can adequately anticipate risks tied to social media challenges that evolve rapidly online.
While officials have confirmed that a full investigation is ongoing, they have also stressed that no definitive link has yet been established between the boy's death and any online trend.
What is the Dougnut TikTok Challenge?
The challenge involves participants attempting to fit an entire glazed or cream-filled doughnut into their mouth at once without chewing properly, often while being filmed for reactions, humour, or social media engagement. Variations include stacking multiple doughnuts, swallowing large bites without water, or competing to finish fastest.
@sim1eats One bite donut challenge with @Krispy Kreme ! #donut #krispykreme #onebitechallenge #mukbang
♬ original sound - Simone
While many of these clips are posted as jokes or 'food hacks,' medical experts have repeatedly warned that they can be dangerous, especially for children. Large or sticky foods like doughnuts can easily become lodged in the throat and create a choking hazard if not chewed properly.
