A 12-year-old Recent Jersey boy collapsed and died during a no-contact football practice — and his family has blasted the league as “neglectful” because not one of the coaches knew CPR.
Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia, a sixth-grade student at KIPP Rise Academy, was practicing with the Essex County Predators last Friday when he dropped to the bottom and have become unresponsive, his family told News 12.
“No contact. It was just drills running forwards and backwards. He didn’t get hit,” his mother, Raven Brown, told the outlet.
“He was a healthy kid…I don’t know why Friday night was his day.”
Elijah’s 10-year-old brother, who was also on the practice, called their mother to inform her that the coaches — none of whom were CPR-certified — were attempting to revive the young player.
“He said, ‘They’re pouring water on him, and so they are fanning him.’ And that’s after I got my kids together and I said, ‘I’m on my way,’” says Brown.
Brown called an ambulance as she rushed to the sphere, and coaches also called twice, but Brown made it to her son before emergency personnel.
She said it took 30-40 minutes for the ambulance to reach. Elijah was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
The following day, Elijah’s coach called Brow to apologize.
“‘Sorry, none of us are CPR-certified,’” the coach allegedly told the grieving mother.
Recent Jersey state law requires at the least one person to be CPR-certified at state school events and to have a defibrillator on standby.
“They’re neglectful. You’ll be able to’t run a team like that,” Brown says.
Brown and her family are considering taking legal motion against the group that runs the football league, she said. The team acknowledged Elijah’s passing, but didn’t provide a comment to News 12 due to an ongoing investigation.
Officials are still looking into Elijah’s reason for death.
His mother said Elijah had never had any prior health issues and had gone to highschool earlier within the day easily.
Playing on the football team was his favorite thing to do, his mother said.
“He was so completely happy to be there. He didn’t know that it was going to be his last day,” Brown said.
“I miss his face. I miss him dancing…I just miss him. I miss all the pieces about him,” Brown says.
