New Jersey student dies while playing "choking game"
BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- A New Jersey school superintendent says a student has died as the result of the once popular choking game.
The Home News Tribune reports Bernards Township Schools Superintendent Nick Markarian wrote to parents that the student engaged in a game that is also known as space monkey, the fainting game or flatliner.
Participants seek to achieve euphoria by briefly stopping oxygen from reaching the brain.
The superintendent recommended that parents talk to their children and review the search history of their media devices.
The name and age of the student who died was not released.
Choking game deaths
The choking game has been around for years. But it made a comeback last year when "how to" videos began circulating on websites like YouTube, CBS New York reported.
The buzz on social media led many students to participate in the challenge nationwide, even though they realized there were potentially deadly consequences.
According to CBS New York, 11-year-old Garrett Pope died in September 2016 in South Carolina. His father took to social media during his time of mourning to let the world know that his son's death was not intentional — he took the game too far.
Judy Rugg's son, Erik, died while playing the game in 2010. Rugg started a nationwide online support group called "Erik's Cause" to promote awareness.
Doctors say some kids participate in the game, which is also referred to as the "pass out" or "black out" challenge, to get a natural high.
Parents are urged to monitor their children's online activity.