What happened to Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia? New Jersey 12-year-old dies during no-contact football practice

On Friday, February 17, 12-year-old New Jersey middle-schooler Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia fatally collapsed during football practice. The incident sparked outrage from the child's family, who stated that none of the coaches at the training camp knew how to administer CPR.

According to News12, Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia was a sixth grader at KIPP Rise who played with the Essex County Predators. During the training session, he collapsed, allegedly leading to panic among the coaches.

According to the New York Post, the middle-schooler's 10-year-old brother called his parents to inform them of the situation. The parents were told that none of the adults at the scene knew CPR and that they were attempting to call 911.

Raven Brown said the ambulance took a long time to get to the scene. According to WSAZ, she said:

“Somebody on the phone for 911 or an ambulance should have said to do palpitations on his chest."

The child was subsequently transported to the University Hospital in Newark, where he was pronounced dead.

---

Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia's mother speaks out about his death

According to Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia's mother, Raven Brown, soon after her son's death, his coaches informed her that they had no knowledge of CPR.

Raven Brown claimed that the coach had said:

"Sorry, none of us are CPR-ceritified."

She said that, according to her 10-year-old son, the coaches were only able to pour water on the boy.

She said:

“He said, ‘They are pouring water on him, and they are fanning him.’ And that’s when I got my kids together and I said, ‘I’m on my way."

She added that they did not behave responsibly:

“They are neglectful. You can’t run a team like that."

Soon after Elijah Jordan Brown-Garcia's death, the team released a statement:

"Our Hearts are crushed and our condolences screams out to the family of our very own Elijah E2 Brown We love You."

His school, KIPP, also released an official statement:

“Elijah will be deeply missed by our KIPP students, families and educators and we will remember him as a kind, outgoing student who was a friend to all."

University Hospital also acknowledged the child's death:

"University Hospital extends its deepest condolences to the grieving family of this young person. For privacy reasons, however, UH cannot comment on protected health information regarding our patients, including confirmation of a patient’s identity."

Raven Brown had said she was heartbroken as her son had been an avid athlete, and she felt like the coaches had failed him.

She said:

“He was so happy to be there. He didn’t know that it was going to be his last day. I miss his face. I miss him dancing…I just miss him. I miss everything about him."

Today News reported that the incident is under investigation. Raven Brown said she hopes to take the issue to court.